Earlier this week we were thrilled to reopen our Wesley House, Westminster Village and West Lakes Aged Care homes to visitors, following updated advice from SA Health regarding outbreak management procedures.

Our teams reported feeling “over the moon” and an “amazing buzz” as residents were reunited with their loved ones. Our Activities Teams also wasted no time in recommencing group activities for our residents in a COVID-safe setting.

Thank you to families and friends for their ongoing patience as we have implemented our outbreak management procedures. We are delighted to have welcomed visitors back into our homes. We also remain alert and prepared for future COVID-19 exposures as our state continues to battle this pandemic.

The outbreak management response at Hawksbury Gardens remains in full swing, and we are taking every measure to limit the spread of COVID-19 in this home. Staff remain zoned to a specific area, are wearing full PPE, having isolated tea and lunch breaks, and are undergoing testing in line with SA Health directives.

We would like to acknowledge our Hawksbury Gardens team for their ongoing efforts, resilience and commitment to our residents. The manner in which all team members continue to apply themselves so diligently in implementing our Outbreak Management Pan is truly admirable.

REVISED SA HEALTH GUIDELINES 

As advised earlier this week, SA Health has updated their guidelines for Residential Aged Care facilities managing COVID-19 outbreaks and exposures. The revised advice is expected to reduce the likelihood of Aged Care homes entering into facility-wide lockdowns.

Previously, if there was a single positive case of COVID-19 in a staff member or visitor, the site was considered to be in a declared outbreak. This definition has now changed to a COVID-19 Exposure Site. A COVID-19 Outbreak Site is now defined as two or more positive staff members who were diagnosed at the same time, or, one positive resident.

According to the updated guidelines, in the event of a COVID-19 exposure, there is no requirement for a site to enter into a facility-wide lockdown.

COVID-19 BOOSTER MANDATE FOR VISITORS

The State Government has announced that all visitors entering a South Australian Aged Care home must have received a COVID-19 booster dose within four weeks of becoming eligible. This requirement will come into effect on 29 January 2022.

People aged 18 years and over are eligible to receive a booster dose four months after receiving their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Once you have received your booster vaccine, please provide evidence of your vaccination (or medical exemption) to your home.

ADDITIONAL CONSENT FORM REQUIRED FOR BOOSTERS

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Clinics are being held across all UnitingSA Aged Care homes, as part of the Australian Government’s national booster vaccine rollout. Our first clinic took place at Seaton Aged Care on 17 December 2021, with our final clinic to occur at Hawksbury Gardens on 19 January 2022.

To participate in a clinic, residents need to complete the booster consent form, which is available in hardcopy at sites or can be downloaded here. This consent form is in addition to the original form signed for doses 1 and 2. Consent forms can be submitted to your site in-person at reception (with the exception of Hawksbury Gardens) or via email. Site email addresses can be found at unitingsa.com.au/contact.

The expert advice is that people who have had two doses of a vaccine are well protected against serious illness from COVID-19. However, a booster dose will increase a person’s immune response and provide an additional layer of protection. Therefore, we strongly encourage residents to get vaccinated.

All residents who received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine more than four months ago are eligible to receive their booster. More information regarding booster vaccines is available on the Australian Government’s Department of Health website and can be accessed here.

KEEPING LOVED ONES CONNECTED 

We understand the importance of keeping loved ones connected and our teams are working hard to support video calls between families, friends and residents. Video calls are available between 10.30am and 4pm on weekdays and can be scheduled by calling or emailing our Aged Care homes. Site contact details can be found at unitingsa.com.au/contact. Bookings are being managed by our Activities Teams.

We utilise iPads equipped with the Skype app to support video calls. Skype is the only video call system we have available and we request families to please set it up on their device prior to their scheduled call. We are trying to fit in as many Skype catch ups as possible and this prior preparation will ensure other calls are not delayed.

Please refer to this ‘Aged Care Video Calls’ fact sheet for information on how to set Skype up on your device.

COVID-19 SITUATION UPDATES FOR ALL UNITINGSA SITES

HAWKSBURY GARDENS AGED CARE
Site status: Phase 3 Outbreak Management Plan enacted, with the site remaining closed to visitors.
Latest cases/exposures: Five residents are no longer deemed to be positive COVID-19 cases, as their infectious period has concluded and they have been cleared by SA Health. This has reduced our total number of positive residents to nine. There have been no other positive cases since our previous update.
Testing: We continue to follow SA Health directives regarding testing.
Booster clinics: An onsite booster vaccination clinic for residents will be held on the revised date of 19 January 2022.

REGENCY GREEN AGED CARE
Site status: Phase 2 Prevention Plan enacted, with the site remaining open to visitors in a restricted capacity. Restrictions include a maximum of one visitor per day, with a single visit of up to an hour.
Latest cases/exposures: A visiting external service provider has tested positive and attended to a single resident while onsite. This exposure is deemed to be low risk.
Testing: The impacted resident is isolating and underdoing testing, in line with SA Health directives, and has so far tested negative.
Booster clinics: An onsite booster vaccination clinic for residents will be held on 17 January 2022.

SEATON AGED CARE
The Seaton situation remains unchanged, as per our previous update. 
Site status: Phase 2 Prevention Plan enacted, with the site remaining open to visitors in a restricted capacity. Restrictions include a maximum of one visitor per day, with a single visit of up to an hour.
Latest cases/exposures: Nil
Testing: Nil
Booster clinics: An onsite booster vaccination clinic for residents was held on 17 December 2021.

WESLEY HOUSE AGED CARE
Site status: Phase 2 Prevention Plan enacted, with the site remaining open to visitors in a restricted capacity. Restrictions include a maximum of one visitor per day, with a single visit of up to an hour.
Latest cases/exposures: Three staff members tested positive to COVID-19 on 13 January 2022 and attended the site during their infectious period on 10 January 2022. As the staff were wearing full PPE, residents are not deemed to be close contacts and the exposure risk is low.
Testing: In line with SA Health directives, precautionary testing is being carried out for residents who came into contact with the staff. All residents returned negative results as part of their initial round of testing today.
Booster clinics: Onsite booster vaccination clinics for residents were held on 11 and 12 January 2022.

WEST LAKES AGED CARE
The West Lakes situation remains unchanged, as per our previous update. 
Site status: Phase 2 Prevention Plan enacted, with the site remaining open to visitors in a restricted capacity. Restrictions include a maximum of one visitor per day, with a single visit of up to an hour.
Latest cases/exposures: Nil
Testing: Nil
Booster clinics: An onsite booster vaccination clinic for residents will be held on 18 January 2022.

WESTMINSTER VILLAGE AGED CARE
The Westminster Village situation remains unchanged, as per our previous update. 
Site status: Phase 2 Prevention Plan enacted, with the site remaining open to visitors in a restricted capacity. Restrictions include a maximum of one visitor per day, with a single visit of up to an hour.
Latest cases/exposures: Nil
Testing: Nil
Booster clinics: An onsite booster vaccination clinic for residents was held today (14 January 2022).

We continue to support visits on compassionate grounds for residents receiving end-of-life care. To discuss your situation, please contact the home’s Residential Operations Manager.

Our Residential Operations Managers can also assist eligible family and friends who have routinely visited loved ones to support aspects of their care to become ‘essential care visitors’ as part of our Partners in Care initiative. To obtain contact details for the relevant home, visit unitingsa.com.au/contact and scroll down.

If you have any further questions about the COVID-19 situation at your loved one’s Aged Care home, please contact our COVID-19 Hotline on (08) 8448 6300 between 8am and 8pm daily.