September 2021

The Village of Humber Heights

Long Term Care Family Council Meeting

Tuesday, September 7, 2021, 7 p.m.

MINUTES

Present: Heinz Belzer (Chair), Kathryn Bennett (Secretary), Jill Burnie, Roswita Busskamp, Shyami Jayasundera, Teresa LaFave (Vice Chair), Marcia McGovern, Sabine Moore, Leslie Morrell, Bob Senkiw

Guest: Eric Jaffary, Director of Recreation

Regrets: Domenica Hoyes

The meeting was brought to order at 7:05 p.m. by the Chair. He welcomed all attendees and introduced Erick Jaffary, Director of Recreation. Eric will be the Family Council liaison going forward. He provided an update on activities and developments at VHH and promised to get back to us if there were any questions he was unable to answer.

A new policy is now in place requiring staff to become vaccinated by mid-October. The Ontario government has mandated this as a response to a broad spectrum of lobbying activities. Staff who remain unvaccinated after the deadline will go on unpaid leaves of absence. Currently there are about 20 employees in this category on each of Retirement and Long Term Care. He was unsure whether this policy will apply to private PSWs, LIN people and others like them but will check. They have just started to allow performers and music therapists to return and they all have to be vaccinated. They also have to be swabbed on entry as testing is still a requirement. VHH is now allowing groups of up to 10 visitors but all must be fully vaccinated for this also.

He reported on recent events around the home in which music had been provided, including an opera group in the parking lot. Some of the former regular musicians will be starting again in October. LTC residents are allowed to go to the beautician in Main Street once again and they will be trying to get volunteers back in and begin doing scenic drives with the bus, which is currently in the shop getting re-certified.

There is concern about another wave but they are hoping there won’t need to be as many restrictions given that so many have now been vaccinated. Protocols introduced earlier in the pandemic, such as cleaning and sanitizing, and audits of their effectiveness, are still continuing. It will be quite a hardship if another lock down becomes necessary, because everyone became so weary of it previously.

Currently the level of staff who have been vaccinated is approximately 76-77 percent. Another clinic is scheduled for the following week and they expect to be in good shape if they can get to 85 percent. Families are being asked to sign permissions for booster shots.

There was a discussion about the music program and how it might compare to the music program run by the Alzheimer’s Society (called Music and Memory). Heinz described how the VHH program had previously been working with iPod Shuffle and play lists tailored to the preferences of residents, and he had offered to assist with digitization of music for the creation of playlists. Eric said he would look further for the iPods and ask around about them. Eric and Heinz will arrange to meet to discuss further what might be done.

An exercise competition among residents is coming up and will be held in the main street and exercise room of LTC. Staff will also participate. Awards will be presented and it should be fun for all. They are also bringing back Claudette’s Fashions on September 17 for Retirement and on October 8 or 15^th for LTC. Coffee socials are being started for new residents.

Eric was thanked for his contribution and left the meeting at 8 p.m.

Approval of Minutes

Draft minutes of the previous meeting held August 3, 2021 had been previously circulated. It was moved and seconded that they be approved. The motion passed with all in favour.

New Business

Heinz reminded everyone that as of the October meeting he will be stepping down as Chairman, as will Kathryn as Secretary, and Teresa as Vice Chair. He expressed the hope that there will be others willing to take on these rolls and offered to provide support for the transition as needed, and to also maintain the website, at the pleasure of a new Chair. Another possible option was also suggested for consideration, in which the remaining members could meet without official roles, or in a rotation of roles, and that the Terms of Reference could be changed to allow for this. This kind of less formal structure was in place a few years ago and could be used again.

It was discussed that the role of the Family Council is an important one and that having this structure in place for updates to be provided by the home, as well as for two-way communication, issues to be raised and questions to be answered has been very beneficial in the experience of longer serving members.

It was commented that outdoor visits seem to be working well and should continue to be useful as long as the good weather holds. Improvements have been noted in resident rooms, the dining area and with staff interactions. An ongoing plumbing issue was noted for one family member.

At the October meeting there will be a representative of St. John’s Ambulance present to talk about support for caregivers.

Other Business

There being no other business the meeting ended at 8:30 p.m.

Date of next Meeting: Tues. October 5, 2021, 7 p.m.

Note: Due to Covid19 meetings will continue to be held by video conferencing using Zoom until further notice. Please check our website for further information if you are interested in attending.