COVID-19 Update: October 21, 2020 – COVID-19 Lessons Learned

We are an organization that has a long history of quality improvement. We know there is always room to do better and we regularly provide opportunities for our stakeholders to share their feedback with us so we can learn and improve. During the summer, as part of our process of reflecting on our performance, we asked our employees, residents and family members, for their feedback on our COVID-19 response so far. We wanted to hear from them about what we did well, and what we can improve as we prepare for a potential second wave. We were pleased that 1,063 people took the time to provide feedback on what they felt was important.

One thing that was clear in the survey results is the residents and families’ appreciation towards our team members for keeping their loved ones safe during these challenging times. We also heard that frequent communications and quick response was done well. While 94.4% of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with our response, we learned that there were some important things we can do better. Families would have benefited from having more accessible communications; residents wanted more opportunities for engagement; and team members would have liked better clarity and consistency on direction for new precautions.

This feedback has been critical in helping us make plans for the future. And while we have already actioned a number of the suggestions received, we will continue to use the learnings and to reflect them in our COVID-19 response going forward.

• We have introduced recorded memos for hearing impaired residents, use large print signage, and established regular site level communications (print, e-mail or recorded phone message) for residents and families.
• We are pleased to offer safe indoor and outdoor visits that comply with Public Health directives, and also have a process in place to facilitate Designated Support Persons for residents. We also purchased more iPads and hired additional temporary support workers to support resident connections.
• We developed a schedule for communication with team members, improved our web portal and dashboard on the Intranet to easily access relevant organizational directives and precautions, and enhanced our training to ensure the most up-to-date knowledge programs for our team members.

Our teams continue to be vigilant and are prepared for a potential second wave of COVID-19 with this important feedback included in our planning. We also now have more experience and information about COVID-19 and how to protect our communities. As a result, if we see increased cases in regions where we operate, we have plans in place to assess the situation and put appropriate precautions in place based on Public Health directives and with the safety and wellness of residents and team members as our highest priority. This may mean that we will have increased precautionary measures in place in some locations where there are a higher number of cases. We will always communicate with residents, families and team members first should this happen.