23 September 2020
Dear Residents, Families and Friends,
Just a short update, to let you know the results of the testing that occurred on Monday 21 September this week. Pleasingly of the 81 COVID-19 tests conducted for residents and staff, all have returned ‘negative’ results. This is a great relief.
With this round of negative test results, we can now be confident that the virus has ceased its spread in the Home.
We will now officially commence discussions with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Public Health Unit (PHU) to have all staff and residents provided with a COVID-19 clearance certificate and request a move to the ‘Enhanced Surveillance’ phase.
Although there have been recent changes to the criteria and how quickly the Home can move to this phase, we will be advocating for this to occur as soon as possible so that residents can begin to move freely around the home, eat meals in the dining room and attend activities. In addition, residents who moved rooms for infection control purposes will be able to move back to their own rooms. We will let you know when we have more information about when this phase can occur.
The Aged Care Liaison Team from Western Health will continue to visit the Home daily to assess residents who may be unwell, and of course, if anything changes, we will let you know as soon as possible. We are working together to ensure that our residents continue to receive the care they need.
If you or your family would like more support during this difficult time, please reach out to OPAN (Older Persons Advisory Network) on 1800 237 981. They are available 6am-10pm, 7 days a week. The other organisation that can assist you is Elder Rights Advocacy Victoria who can be reached on 1800 171 866 for support and advice.
Please contact the Home on 9312 0111 if you or your family member have any questions or concerns. In addition, you are welcome to contact us via the email address covid19questions@dgas.org.au. A reminder again to pass this on to other family members or refer them to the website www.dgas.org.au/coronavirus-updates/.
Yours sincerely,
Vanda Iaconese
CEO
