Welcoming visitors back to Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostels
Published on 29 June 2020
As aged care residential facilities home to more than 45 permanent residents, Council has been working hard to ensure that Australian and state government COVID-19 requirements are implemented at Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostels for the safety of residents and staff during this unprecedented time.
The biggest change to management has been the initial lockdown of the facilities which occurred in March. This excluded visitors from the facilities and required implementation of our COVID 19 pandemic control measures determine by the Australian government. Through the last few months we have also updated procedures in line with the requirements of NSW Health as the lead response agency in the pandemic. As recently as last week the state government released new requirements, and keeping up with changes has certainly kept us on our toes.
Jo Manion, Director Community Services said
“We communicated the key operational change about restrictions on visiting to both facilities through a variety of means. To keep families in the loop specifically, formal letters were sent to the families of residents, and while it was not desirable to eliminate direct contact between loved ones, it was necessary to ensure we met our legal requirements as well as our duty of care for the health and safety of all those involved”.
Residents and families have been very understanding and respectful of the restrictions put in place, and we have appreciated their support throughout the lock down period.
“Staff at Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostels have worked hard in many ways to ensure residents have been able to keep in contact with loved ones, setting up videoconferencing chats and regular phone calls. Families living locally were encouraged to come to “through the window” catch ups on Mother’s Day to make sure the day could be celebrated with family and friends. Around 40 people visited Cooee Lodge for that occasion and “through the window” visits have continued since then. We have also sought to accommodate the needs of relatives who couldn’t visit in normal hours” said Ms Manion.
In line with our pandemic measures at Cooee Lodge the staff have been showering on arrival at work and wearing scrubs. This has been a change for them and moving into the colder months a reflection of how committed they have been to the safety of our residents.
“The Cooee team have demonstrated how committed they are to the care of our residents and deserve to be recognized for meeting the challenges of the last few months”, said Ms Manion.
Adding,
“In the early stage of the pandemic our Cooee residents were keen to stay safe but really wanted to have a haircut. In response we did find a hairdresser who was prepared to shower, change into scrubs, wear a gown, mask and gloves to meet the strict requirements and ensure they could do that. Something as simple as a new hairstyle was such an important and valuable thing to keep up our spirits at a time when we were all very anxious about what might happen”
With further loosening of restrictions by national and state government, Cooee and Jack Towney Hostels has been welcoming visitors back by appointment. Up to now we have been limiting visiting to 30 minute sessions, and as of 7 July we will be able to invite visitors into individual resident’s rooms to provide the support and contact that our residents have missed. While phone calls and virtual catchups are good, having someone visit face to face makes such a big difference and can really brighten our residents’ day”, Ms Manion said.
Council continues to monitor and implement the relevant legislative requirements, and keep families informed on the operations and visitation procedures. Specific requests can also be considered, and both Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostels would be willing to discuss with families and friends who may wish to do so.
David Neeves, General Manager said
“Council responded swiftly to the pandemic from the beginning at both facilities, with staff working hard to develop and implement the COVID 19 Plan since March. This Plan conforms to National requirements and will be continually reviewed and updated to ensure currency as the situation evolves over time.”
“We hope that restrictions will continue to ease in future months, however Council will make the decisions as necessary to ensure the facilities are a safe and healthy space. The health and wellbeing of our residents is paramount and while social distancing restrictions have certainly challenged us all, it is an effective measure to minimise the impacts of COVID-19 in our community.”
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Contact:
Jo Manion
Director Community Services
6817 8800