18th – 24th of May is National Volunteers Week and we would like to thank all of the Respect volunteers that dedicate their time to making our resident’s lives better. They provide an invaluable service to our residents, who would be no doubt missing their friendly faces at the moment. If you have some time to spare, we are always on the lookout for new volunteers. You don’t even need any special talents, so call your nearest Respect home today to enquire about volunteering.
Author: respect
International Nurses Day
Today is International Nurse Day and we would like to pay tribute to the amazing care that nurses provide in each and every Respect home. It takes a truly special type of person to become a nurse, and then to commit to caring for some of our community’s most vulnerable in aged care is another level of special. We appreciate everything that they do every day, but recent events have highlighted their dedication, compassion and will to put others before themselves. And for that they deserve the highest level of respect. Thank You.
Visitations Update 11 May 2020
Respect has today commenced a proportionate lessening to its visitor restrictions in Tasmania due to the decreased risk posed by decreasing numbers of community coronavirus transmissions. This initial phase will involve each resident being able to have one 30 minute visit from one visitor this week. Each visitor will need to contact the facility and they will be given a code and instructions on how to make a booking through our website using that code. Once in the booking system you will be taken through a series of educational videos and you will also be asked to declare that you have had an up to date influenza vaccination. Visiting arrangements will be reviewed each week with further changes implemented to increase visiting if the risk remains low. Please be mindful however that we will continue to experience localised outbreaks in the future and we will respond accordingly with individual facility lockdowns moving forward as the situation demands.
There remains in place the capacity to visit the site under exceptional circumstances such as end of life care or when asked by the facility to provide support to a resident who is distressed.
Visitors once on site will be asked to;
- complete a risk-based questionnaire regarding recent travel and activities;
• have their temperature taken;
• be supervised on entry to ensure proper hand sanitisation;
• maintain social distancing from their loved one of 1.5 meters throughout the duration of their visit;
• only visit their loved one in their room and with no access to public or communal areas, or to visit other residents; and
• wear personal protective equipment if deemed necessary in the future depending on the circumstances.
Visits will be limited to 30 minutes and be required to be conducted between 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, but will be considered in the situation of a resident receiving end of life care with flexibility in this regard applied on a case by case basis. Visitors who don’t comply with these conditions of entry and/or who do not follow the directions of staff will be asked to leave and refused further entry. Whilst we don’t want to be punitive, we must strictly adhere to these measures to ensure the safety of residents and staff.
This easing of restrictions will bring Tasmania into line with our Victorian homes, and our intention is to continue to relax these restrictions over the coming weeks if circumstances allow.
Respect has deployed extra staff resources within the home to meet the needs of residents at this time. Please remember you can still call at any time, or video call by arranging this with the home your loved one resides in. When talking to your loved one, if you can please reassure them that this is a precautionary measure only, and we are working day and night to ensure their safety whilst having as much social engagement as we can provide in the circumstances.
Visitations Update 29 April 2020
Respect were the first aged care organisation in Australia to voluntarily put their homes into lockdown. The decision to do this was an extremely difficult one, which needed to weigh the risks associated with community transmission versus the safety of our residents which is always our first priority. The decision was made when the doubling rate of the Coronavirus in Australia was less than three days (meaning the number of people infected doubled at least every three days) and it appeared as if Australia was on the same trajectory as many countries that are now in a tragic condition. If the doubling rate had stayed at three days, more than half of the population of Australia would have contracted the virus by the end of May 2020. Respect were not comfortable at the time with the Government’s recommendation to leave aged care homes open when the virus was doubling every three days.
The doubling rate in Australia is now 425 days, and even higher in many of the communities where our homes are located. Respect has therefore assessed the risk in the current climate as very low and will begin controlled visitations in Victoria. We intend to begin controlled visitation in the North and South of Tasmania on 6 May 2020 if the directive from the Director of Public Health (which requires us to remain in lockdown) is lifted. We will assess the North West Coast of Tasmania on a day-by-day basis from 6 May 2020 because the community risk in the North West Coast is still considered high.
The controlled visitations will occur as a proportionate lessening to our visitor restrictions. The initial phase will allow one 30 minute visitation from one visitor for each resident between 9:00am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday. We will increase visitations when we’re comfortable that the system is adequately controlling the risk, and if community risk remains low. If the risk in a community increases, we will increase restrictions on visitation accordingly using this flexible system.
Please note, the restrictions do not apply to end of life care, however these visitors will need to follow the same process.
Each visitor will need to contact the facility and they will be given a code and instructions on how to make a booking through our online booking application (https://cov.respect.com.au/).
Visitors must;
- Complete a risk assessment regarding recent travel and activities.
- Make a declaration that they have had a flu vaccination as per new Government regulations for aged care visitors.
- Watch read and understand education on the Coronavirus, hand hygiene, sneeze and cough etiquette, and social distancing.
- Have their temperature taken prior to entry.
- Be supervised on entry to ensure proper hand sanitisation.
- Maintain social distancing from their loved one of 1.5 meters throughout the duration of their visit.
- Only visit their loved one in their room and with no access to public or communal areas, or to visit other residents.
- Wear personal protective equipment if deemed necessary in the future depending on the circumstances.
We have deployed extra staff resources within the home to meet the needs of residents at this time and please remember you can still call at anytime, or video call by arranging this with the home your loved one resides in.
Coronavirus Update
At Respect we believe that the health and safety of our residents is paramount and feel that is important to take a proactive approach to keep our residents safe. As from Tuesday the 17th of March 2020 all Respect homes will be in lockdown until further notice, with all access from the public (including friends and family) prohibited except in exceptional circumstances. We are not doing this because of any current cases that we are aware of, it is purely a proactive measure.
The Coronavirus puts elderly people at high risk, particularly those with certain pre-existing conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, hypertension, and cancer. This puts some of our residents at high risk, and to ensure their safety we have decided to take unprecedented measures.
We understand that this may cause anxiety or frustration in some instances, however we believe this is the best method of mitigating the risk to many of our residents living within our homes. Loved ones can still always be contacted by telephone, and during this time we will be setting up video chat facilities so friends and family can see and talk to their loved one face to face if they wish to do so. If you would like to speak with your loved one by video chat please don’t hesitate to contact the home your loved one resides in so this can be arranged.
If there is an extenuating circumstance where a visit is necessary, please call the home first so we can determine if the nature of your visit is necessary and whether we could arrange other plans for you such as a phone call, video chat, or special delivery which could be left at the front door for staff to collect.
We will be accepting new admissions during the lockdown period, however, there will be processes in place to ensure they pose no risk to existing residents and staff.
We would like to thank residents and their loved ones for their understanding and support during this time, we will be providing updates as the situation changes.
We have created a web page that is dedicated to providing up-to-date coronavirus information for friends and family of our residents. The page will be updated daily with the most current advice regarding the status of our homes and other general information:
Ulverstone’s Mt St Vincent joins Respect
Respect is excited to announce the addition of Ulverstone’s iconic Mt St Vincent nursing home to the group. The home is a 73 bed facility, with a dedicated 12 bed secure dementia wing, as well as a therapy centre and hydrotherapy pool that is very popular.
St Vincent de Paul state president Mark Gaetani said it had been a sad decision to make, but that Respect had stood out among the buyers. “Respect primarily stood out for their not-for-profit status.”
Respect Managing Director Mr Binder said he was proud of the fact that Respect was a locally based organisation, and he looked forward to upholding the “fantastic reputation” of the facility.
“We’re here for the residents, we don’t have shareholders that get dividends. We are familiar with the rich history of Mt St. Vincent. We are especially excited about retaining local ownership and preserving the high quality care and services to residents at the home. We were founded here in the North-West, we’re employing local people, and it’s just a positive thing. Nothing will really change.”St. Vincent de Paul Society CEO Lara Alexander said the transfer was expected to be completed by September 2019.
“The sale will not adversely impact staffing levels or the 73 residents who call Mt St. Vincent their home. This is one of the reasons we chose Respect as the right organisation. Our top priority was to ensure our residents continued to receive high quality care, and that our staff continued to be treated well.”
The addition of Mt St Vincent brings our total to 10 aged care homes, spread out across Tasmania and Victoria.