Our residents are at higher risk of serious illness from exposure to COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses. You can help us protect everyone living, working or visiting at our Manors by preventing any potential spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.
This special bulletin is designed to assure residents, families and visitors to our Manors that The Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF) is taking all reasonable precautions to prevent the occurrence or spread of COVID-19 in our sites.
As seniors living in continuing care communities are a population that is at higher risk, and out of an abundance of precaution, BSF is taking extra Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures within our sites that are considered over and above the current guidelines for the general public in Alberta at this time.
We take this opportunity once again to clarify some possible confusion surrounding the Government of Alberta’s changes to public health measures in the community.
The current changes and removal of public health measures in the community DO NOT impact BSF’s COVID-19 Safe Visiting Policy. Continuing Care Operators are still required to follow the Chief Medical Officer of Health Orders for Continuing Care. The easing of COVID-19 measures in Continuing Care is considered as part of Step 3 of Alberta’s ‘Path to Return to Normal.’ Until that time, all existing requirements remain in place in these settings.
For example:
BSF is committed to reviewing our COVID-19 Safe Visiting Policy on an ongoing basis in response to our organizational risk assessment and in consultation with our residents and families. A Risk Assessment Survey was completed in February to gather updated risk assessment information from residents, families, and visitors in consideration of the current prevalence of COVID-19 and current changes to public health measures in the community. We are pleased to share a summary of these survey results with you now.
As such, informed by the preferences of our residents and families, BSF will not be making any changes to our current COVID-19 Safe Visiting Policy at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation and will wait to re-evaluate making any changes to the current Visiting Policy after March 15, 2022, in consideration of the impacts of changing public health measures in the community. Any potential updates will be communicated at that time.
In the meantime, the full BSF COVID-19 Safe Visiting Policy is available at: www.theBSF.ca/covid19.
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In the spirit of respect, reconciliation and gratitude, we honour and acknowledge that our services are provided on the traditional territories of Treaty 7, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy comprising the Siksika, Piikani and Kainai First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Good Stoney Bands. These territories are also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3. We are grateful for the many First Nations who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations. We acknowledge that we have ongoing responsibilities to protect, honour and celebrate all of life within our shared communities.
