Coronovirus Update

Dear Family & Friends,

We are writing with our weekly update to families and friends of residents in Broadmead Care homes about COVID-19, some information around Mother’s Day (May 10), and to share some of our good news stories with you.

This Week at Broadmead Care …

We’ve been sharing with you for several weeks now the ways in which life has changed at our Care Homes – and there have been many changes. But we’re also taking this time to explore opportunities to help people create happiness and wellbeing, and advance the ways in which we put our Purpose into action – what we call The Broadmead Way.

In addition to everything we are doing to help families stay connected, we have been able to redeploy some staff to spend more 1:1 time with residents, which has resulted in a sense of calm and positive interaction. In fact, some residents have begun to participate in activities more, are developing new skills and abilities, or rediscovering hobbies and activities shelved long ago.

We’ve also been able to personalize interactions and activities for residents. For example, at Veterans Memorial Lodge, staff created a communication board in Punjabi to help a resident communicate more effectively. Activity workers are sharing online Concerts in Care with residents, made possible from the generosity of two donors, in memory of their spouses.

Nigel House residents have changed their outings to indoor activities – bingo and nachos, anyone? At Beckley Farm Lodge and Rest Haven Lodge, we’ve seen an increase in communication between families who live outside Victoria and loved ones, through the addition of our Keep Connected program.

And it’s not just staff who are taking The Broadmead Way to heart. At Nigel House, during a daily reading of the newspaper, residents became aware of the financial impact COVID-19 is having on individuals, businesses, and communities. There was a lot of discussion about the Rapid Relief Fund, initiated by the Victoria Foundation, Times Colonist, and the Jawl Foundation. One resident immediately gravitated towards supporting this community endeavour. Brenda, who was homeless herself at one point and saw an opportunity to help others, began to raise funds at Nigel House the very next day – and through the goodhearted donations of six residents and three staff members, raised $695!

Kindness. Compassion. Purpose. Joy. These are all part of the Broadmead Way, and we have been thankful for the response of staff, residents, families, and friends during a very challenging time. What could have been overshadowed by difficulty has led instead to a shining generosity of self and resources. We also thank you for the donations you have made, and continue to make, and the kind words you share with your loved ones and with us. All of this supports the people who live and work at Broadmead Care, and we are humbled by your expressions of concern and love.

This week we very gratefully received a donation of 100 tins of Health Canada approved hand sanitizer from Victoria Distillers. Hand sanitizer is one of the PPE products (Personal Protective Equipment) that is increasingly hard to find, and we cannot thank them enough for their generosity. “We recognize that right now is a particularly challenging time for our community’s seniors and especially those in long term care environments. We hope that our donation can help to mitigate risk and continue to keep our loved ones safe!” said Meg Lovett, Victoria Distiller’s Communications Coordinator.

Also this week, we hit a communication milestone: we received our 1,000th message through the Keep Connected program, from a niece to her beloved Aunt at Beckley Farm Lodge, who said, “Hello, Aunty Vera … I send my love to you and hope you are in your chair with your jigsaw puzzles once again.” Thank you for keeping those messages coming.

COVID-19 Information Update

Last week we received information from Island Health about what happens if a resident in a care home tests positive for the coronavirus. Due to the significant potential of risk to other residents and staff, Island Health has advised that if a resident tests positive for the coronavirus, the affected resident(s) may be transferred from the care home to one of Island Health’s designated COVID-19 units. In Victoria, this is the Royal Jubilee Hospital. This decision to transfer and treat affected residents away from their long term care home is at the recommendation of the Medical Health Officer, in order to prevent further spread in an affected care home. Anyone transferred to a COVID-19 unit will stay there until their infection has resolved.

Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 10, 2020

Mother’s Day is approaching, and we want to assure you that we’re going to celebrate! We’ve got special events, lunches and dinners planned to help everyone feel the joy and love of this special day. In addition, each woman who lives with us will receive a potted plant. If you’d like to include a personal message to be delivered along with the plant, please use the form on our Keep Connected page, and be sure to have it submitted no later than Thursday, May 7.

We know how important this day is to families, so under the direction of the Medical Health Officer, we will accept, for Mother’s Day weekend only (Friday, May 8 through Sunday May 10, between 10 am and 3 pm), flowers and cards that are delivered via a floral company. Regretfully, gifts of food, beverages, supplies, or other goods will not be accepted at this time.

Please note that at this time, our Provincial Health Officer has not lifted visitor restrictions, so if you wish to see your loved one, please use the Keep Connected page to arrange a video call, or contact your Care Home to arrange a window visit (information below).

These are unprecedented times, and as we’re learning to navigate through this strange new world, we continue to act in the best interests of our residents and staff. Thank you for your continued generosity, messages of love and hope, and for working with us to keep your loved ones safe.

To arrange window visits, please call:

Beckley Farm Lodge – 250.381.4421, extension 229
Rest Haven Lodge – 250.656.0717, extension 454
Veterans Memorial Lodge – 250.658.0311 between 9am and 8pm, and ask to be transferred to the appropriate Activity Worker