Important information about IRT Tarrawanna Aged Care Centre

5 June 2023

Dear family member/resident representative,

I’m writing to provide you with an update as we manage the risk of COVID-19 at your loved one’s aged care centre, and to also let you know that this week’s Food Focus Meeting has been cancelled.

COVID-19 update

Firstly, I’m saddened to share that our resident who was transferred to Wollongong Hospital for further management and treatment of their symptoms passed away over the weekend.

On behalf of everyone at IRT I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to the resident’s family members and friends, including our Tarrawanna residents and staff who are also deeply saddened by this resident’s passing.

We continue to care for a number of residents with COVID-19 in the Rosella, Lorikeet, Kookaburra and Kingfisher wings of the care centre. The residents are experiencing mild to moderate symptoms such as a cough, nasal congestion and lethargy but are otherwise regarded as stable.

In some good news, we are expecting some of these residents to reach their full recovery criteria this week, pending a final review. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor all residents closely as we care for them in their rooms.

We are continuing with our testing regime this week to ensure early detection of any other cases. As explained previously, this involves testing residents in the affected areas every two-to-three days, as well as residents in other parts of the care centre who have been identified as close-contacts.

If your loved one returns a positive result, we will let you know by phone and continue to provide you with a daily update regarding their progress.

Visiting arrangements

While we manage the risk of COVID-19 at the centre, you are encouraged to postpone your visit at this time. If you do continue with your plans to visit, the following arrangements apply:

• All visitors will be asked to wear a P2/N95 mask and a face shield which will be provided on entry. Please note: the P2/N95 mask and face shield must be worn at all times while inside the care centre – this includes residents’ rooms.
• Those visiting a resident who is considered a close contact or is COVID-19-positive will also be asked to wear a gown and instructed on how to dispose of it safely.
• Children under the age of 12 are strongly discouraged from visiting at this time.

All other visiting arrangements, including the requirement to provide proof of a negative rapid antigen test result on arrival, continue to apply. You can find more information about our visiting arrangements on our website here.

Food Focus Meeting

This week’s Food Focus Meeting, which was due to be held on Thursday 8 June, has been cancelled due to the current COVID-19 outbreak at the care centre.

The next Food Focus Meeting will be held next month as follows:

Date: Thursday 13 July 2023
Time: 10am
Location: Therapy Room – Ground Floor
RSVP: No RSVP is required but if you would like to reply or have any queries, please email tarrawanna@irt.org.au.

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.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Perry
Operations Manager – Illawarra Aged Care Centre