As part of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19, teams of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have been supporting Aged Care homes during times of outbreak.

From today, we are pleased to welcome 10 ADF personnel onsite at Seaton Aged Care to bolster our team’s efforts and provide additional support to residents.

The ADF team includes a registered nurse, four enrolled nurses and five support workers, who will undertake a range of tasks including clinical support, meal deliveries and resident wellbeing checks.

In line with standard protocol, the ADF personnel are in uniform, and it is anticipated they will remain at Seaton Aged Care for six days.

Throughout this time, UnitingSA will continue to lead the COVID-19 response, with the ADF providing valuable support.

The deployment forms part of the Government’s broader COVID-19 surge workforce response, in which up to 1,700 ADF personnel have been made available to boost Aged Care teams across the country.

The ADF’s arrival comes as the latest round of resident PCR testing detected one more positive case, while 10 negative results were returned and we continue to await two results.

Seaton Aged Care continues to enact our Phase 3 Outbreak Management Plan. This means our home remains closed to visitors, staff are wearing full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), and our team is conducting twice daily observations on all residents to monitor for symptoms.

There will be some exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life care, where families will be supported to visit on an individual basis.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our Seaton Aged Care team members, as they continue to prioritise the health and safety of everyone in our care.

Thank you also to all residents, family members and friends for your ongoing support and understanding at this challenging time – it is greatly appreciated by our team.

If you have any questions, please speak with a member of your care team. Contact details for our Aged Care homes can be found on our contact page.