21 July 2022
Dear family member/resident representative,
I’m writing to provide an update on the risk of COVID-19 at your loved one’s aged care centre.
You may recall from my update on Monday that we had five residents in the Melaleuca and Grevillia wings test positive to COVID-19.
To minimise the risk of the virus spreading within the care centre, all residents in the Melaleuca and Grevillia wings have been encouraged to remain in their rooms where they are being monitored regularly and served their meals with support from the Lifestyle team.
As a precautionary measure, all residents in the care centre were tested again on Tuesday via the PCR method and unfortunately the results took longer than expected to return to us.
We have now received the results of those tests which have confirmed one more resident in the Melaleuca wing has COVID-19. There are now currently six residents with the virus in the Melaleuca and Grevillia wings. All residents remain stable with symptoms ranging from none at all to mild, and antivirals have been prescribed in consultation with the residents and their GPs.
All residents in the Melaleuca and Grevillia wings will be tested again tomorrow via the PCR method. If your loved one returns a positive result, staff will let you know by phone, and a member of staff will continue to provide you with a daily update regarding their progress.
As we have a number of staff who have also tested positive to the virus, we have engaged assistance from staff elsewhere within IRT as well as external agencies to support the centre. Your loved one may see some unfamiliar faces in those providing their care, but I can assure you that all agency staff are fully qualified and experienced in providing care to older Australians.
I will provide my next update to you early next week which will include the results of our next round of testing.
Visiting, outings and the wearing of PPE
The following arrangements continue to apply for those planning to visit the centre.
Melaleuca and Grevillia wings
While the risk of COVID-19 within these wings remains high, both Grevillia and Melaleuca wings remain closed to all visitors, unless by special arrangement with the Care Manager.
All other areas of the care centre
As the risk still remains please reconsider your visit to the care centre or any plans to take your loved one out of the centre for an outing (other than for essential purposes).
If you do proceed with your visit please note the following details which remain in place:
- Two visitors per resident and by appointment only.
- Please do not bring children aged under 12 years to visit any area of the care centre.
- All visitors will be asked to complete a rapid antigen test and wait for the result before entering the care centre.
- All visitors must wear all necessary PPE while in the care centre including a P2/N95 mask and a face shield which will be provided on entry.
- Please wear your mask correctly and at all times (do not remove it while you are in your loved one’s room. It will not work unless you are wearing it properly all the time).
- Please put the mask and face shield in the specially marked bins as you leave the care centre.
- If you are visiting a close contact or someone who is COVID-19 positive you will also be asked to wear a gown. Please follow the instructions for putting it on and removing it safely.
- Please co-operate with staff if they ask you to adjust your PPE so that it is worn correctly. They are working to ensure the safety of everyone in the care centre and their efforts are made easier with your support.
As always please do not visit your loved one if you are experiencing any symptoms or are feeling unwell, even if the symptoms are mild. Even if you have a negative COVID-19 test result you may still have influenza or another virus which is highly contagious.
Please pass this message on to others as you consider appropriate and if you have any questions please contact your Care Manager.
Thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely
Nia Briguglio
EGM – Aged Care Centres
