Dear Resident Family Member,

RE: COVID-19 Outbreak Update for Residents and Families: Calvary Haydon Retirement Community

Following our notification of COVID-19 outbreak of this morning, we are writing to provide you with an update on the actions taken at Calvary Haydon Retirement Community in order to prevent further COVID-19 infection and keep you and your loved ones safe and well.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this difficult time.

• Residents will need to remain in their rooms for the time being. All resident care, including meals and hydration, medication, exercise, medical care and phone/video call contact with families is being provided in their room. This arrangement will be necessary to continue until the ACT Health Public Health Unit has deemed the outbreak over, and that it is safe to allow movement throughout the facility again.
• Workforce arrangements to ensure safe care. Additional staff have been sought from our Calvary ACT private and public hospitals to replace those staff that have been furloughed during this process. We have highly trained clinical staff available to ensure the care needs of your loved ones are being met, particularly during this challenging time.
• COVID-19 testing of residents and staff. ACT Health testing of residents and staff has occurred throughout the day and will continue tomorrow. The retesting of residents and staff will occur over the next 72 hours. We will have more information about the results of testing in the next days and you will be informed of any impact.

The time where the staff member was considered infectious is 72 hours prior to the confirmed test results. Accordingly, we in cooperation with ACT Health, are focused on the affected person’s interactions from 19 to 22 September 2021.

We can confirm that during this time, the affected staff member worked in two wings at Calvary Haydon Retirement Community: both the Mary Potter and St Teresa households.

There are a number of questions from families coming through our call centre teams and we will respond to them as soon as we are able. Below are some of the most common questions we are being asked.

Could I have been exposed to COVID-19?

All potentially exposed people will be contacted by the ACT Health Public Health Unit. Fortunately our records indicate that no visitors were on site while the staff member was working.

Should I get tested for COVID-19 if I have recently visited the facility?

Our records show no visitors were on site at the times attended by the affected member of staff’s shifts at the facility during their infectious period.

Any person who has been advised that they are a close contact of a COVID-19 case should follow the directions of the ACT Public Health Unit - i.e. seek a COVID-19 test and isolate at home until a negative result is received.

Additionally, we recommend any person who has any symptoms of COVID-19 should seek testing. For more information visit the ACT Health website or contact the ACT COVID-19 Helpline on: (02) 6207 7244

Should I be tested for COVID-19?

You only need to be tested if you are notified by the ACT Public Health Unit, or if you are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. Fortunately, our records indicate that no visitors were on site while the staff member was working.

The ACT Health COVID-19 Helpline (8am-8pm) can be contacted on (02) 6207 7244 to discuss your individual situation. If in doubt, the most cautious approach is to be tested and remain at home in isolation until a negative result is received.

Can I arrange to have items sent to my family member (resident)?

Yes. Care packages or items can be provided to the site via mail or courier. We would ask that this be done during business hours. The items will need to be left at reception and will be delivered to residents by our staff. Please ensure items are clearly labelled.

What if my loved one has a medical appointment over the next few days?

Regarding medical appointments, assessments will be made in consultation with the relevant health practitioner on a case-by-case basis and based on the urgency of need.We ask that practitioners either utilise telehealth or visit their patient at the facility wherever possible.

Can we still have our window visits?

Unfortunately, as residents are confined to their rooms for their own safety at this time, we are temporarily unable to facilitate window visits. When this changes, we will notify you and re- commence the bookings process for our window visits.

What if my loved one needs help with using the technology i.e. Calvary WebEx video call service?

Calvary has offered resident WebEx video call services since 2020. We will continue to support residents and families to be able to connect through this service as often as is desired.

Calvary will continue to contact families by phone with a situation update on the outbreak each day and the safety and wellbeing of your loved one. Families can also call the facility’s phone number which has been diverted to our call centre team.Our call centre team is operating 24 hours 7 days a week to manage the increase in calls and ensure every family receives information in a timely way.

For more information and regular situation updates, please visit www.calvarycoronavirusupdates.org.au Please be assured that our staff have prepared for a COVID-19 outbreak.

Our staff are trained in strict infection control procedures and are focusing all of their attention on the individual care needs of residents. We are also committed to ensuring that you are provided with the information you want – quickly and regularly.

You can help us to ease anxiety by sharing this information with other family and friends.

Sincerely,

Martin Bowles, National CEO

Barb Reid, Regional CEO - ACT