The Pines Resident & Family Portal

As 2024 comes to an end, we wanted to take a minute to share some of our celebrations for the year as well as things we are looking forward to in 2025.

2024 brought many things to celebrate.

Our Environmental team is celebrating the large generator upgrade, which will power the entire home at 100% if it fails. We are also installing new flooring in two of the home areas and refinishing the front balcony.

The Dietary team is celebrating partnering with residents to ensure meals are what they would like and focusing on improving the instant ordering system for 2025.

Our Activities team celebrated many successful festive activities including lots of bus trips and themed lunches, which are always a resident favorite!

Our Nursing team is celebrating our recruitment and retention efforts which have increased as well as a partnership with the Spasticity clinics and the Nurse Practitioner Outreach Team (NLOT) as a support for our home.

In 2025 we look forward to an upgrade to nursing equipment including pieces to support medication safety, the installation of accessible doors to the home areas, more flooring replacement, and much more.



We truly have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

From our home to yours, we wish you a happy holiday

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ridgley

Administrator

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Family members of those residents affected have been notified. Please ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Family members of those residents affected have been notified. Please ensure that you are diligent with hand hygiene upon entering the home, entering home areas, exiting home areas, and exiting the home.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, the Oak and Spruce home areas remain in a Gastroenteritis outbreak, with symptoms including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Birch Home Areas enhanced surveillance has been declared over and the single case has been resolved. Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce and Oak Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, The Oak home area has now declared a Gastroenteritis Outbreak, with two (2) active resident cases. Symptoms include vomiting and/or diarrhea. The Spruce home area remains in a Gastroenteritis Outbreak, with one (1) active case and five (5) total. Birch Home Areas remain in enhanced surveillance with one (1) resident case. Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce & Oak Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce, Oak, and Birch Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce or Oak. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.
• No impact to visiting in Birch at this time
  

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, The Spruce home area remains in a Gastroenteritis Outbreak, with one (1) active case and five (5) total. Oak and Birch Home Areas now have one (1) resident case in each home area. Therefore, they have been placed on enhanced surveillance. Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented in the affected home areas:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce, Oak, and Birch Home Areas
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.
• No impact to visiting in Oak and Birch at this time
  

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

The Spruce home area remains in a Gastroenteritis Outbreak, with two (2) active cases and five (5) total. Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce Home Area
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

In collaboration with Public Health, The Gastroenteritis Outbreak in the Cedar Home Area has been declared over. The Spruce area remains in a Gastroenteritis Outbreak with one (1) active case and a total of four (4). Family members of those residents affected have been notified.

The following infection control measures are to be implemented:

• Surgical Masks are encouraged at all times in the Spruce Home Area
• Ensure the Public Health 4 moments of Hand Hygiene are followed
• Resident's Hand Hygiene before all meals and regularly throughout the day
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used properly- including donning before entering and removing before exiting the isolated resident’s room
• Residents are to remain in the affected home area at this time to reduce the risk of spread
• *If residents insist on leaving the home area, please assist them with masking or a visor and encourage outdoor visiting.
• Twice daily respiratory symptom screening in Spruce Home Area
• Immediate isolation of any residents with new symptom onset
• Dedicated equipment for those residents that share bathrooms.
• Cohorting of staff, when possible.
• Cohorting of residents and only small group activities in the home area for unaffected residents. Isolated residents to receive one-to-one activities.
• Twice daily high-touch surface cleaning- changing disinfecting product to 1-minute contact time
• Increased hand hygiene and PPE audits in the home area with coaching
• No General Visitors currently on Spruce. Only two (2) essential caregivers at a time.

Please ensure that you are following the IPAC practices listed above as they are in place to protect residents, staff, essential caregivers, and visitors.

We will continue to provide updates as we move through the outbreak.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the nurse in charge.

From our Team to you and your family

We would like to inform you that Kim Sander will be moving on to another leadership opportunity outside of the Pines. Kim’s last day with the home will be January 8^th, 2025. We would like to sincerely thank Kim for her leadership, dedication, and professionalism in her role as Director of Care. We wish her all the best with her new endeavor. We are beginning the process of recruiting a replacement and will make an announcement as soon as we are able.

Please stop by if you have time to thank Kim and wish her well.