28 September 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

Today I write to you with very good news.  As previously advised, all residents and staff at Yarraville Village have officially been cleared of COVID-19 by the Public Health Unit of the Department of Health and Human Services.  This means that as of midnight last night, 27 September 2020, Yarraville Village is declared COVID-19 free and full stand down orders from the Public Health Unit (PHU) apply.  Residents can now fully return to their life as it was before the COVID19 outbreak albeit in a Community COVID-19 environment.

This is welcome news after a long and difficult period of lockdown managing this insidious virus.

We continue to welcome back residents from hospital quarantine, and all of our residents will be back at the Home within the next couple of days.  We are looking forward to welcoming them back to the Home to be reunited with their friends and with the Yarraville staff.

Over the past 14 days we have been endeavouring to return life back to normal as much as possible for our residents.  Meals are once again being enjoyed in the dining room and residents are participating and engaging in group activities including happy hour and afternoon tea outside on the warmer days.  Ongoing support has been provided by our Pastoral Carer who has been to the Home on a number of occasions and I am grateful to hear that many residents are benefiting from this added support.

We have been delighted by the ongoing community support that residents have received throughout these past weeks, including local families and children passing by the Home and waving and sending messages to residents.

We are also looking forward to being able to offer visits for families in the “family hubs”, which we will commence in full starting next Monday 5 October.  You will be able to visit your loved one by appointment (one family member per day for up to one hour for each visit).  You will be asked to wear masks when visiting the Home.  You will also be asked to answer screening questions and have your temperature taken before signing in.  Please call the Home on 9687 8233 to make a time for a visit.  The current arrangements of window visits, telephone calls, video conferencing and compassion family visits will continue.

We are closely monitoring the emotional and physical health of our residents, providing additional support where needed.  Please call us on 9687 8233 if you have an enquiry or concern.  The email address for written questions or concerns is covid19questions@dgas.org.au.

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.

Thankyou once again for your support, patience and understanding during this challenging time.

Yours sincerely,

Vanda Iaconese

CEO