Update #91
07 February, 2022
Dear Residents and family members,
Good news today for our resident isolating in the Lodge, is now able to leave their room and move about the facility as they regain strength.
Families are taking advantage of our visitation arrangements which is wonderful, however some folks are arriving without a RAT result/test, right on the appointment time. This results in reducing their visiting time by 15 mins or so, which is disappointing for all concerned. If you require a RAT from Maroba please collect it the day before or arrive in plenty of time to purchase and conduct the test. We will not hold up other residents appointments to accommodate individuals arriving late or untested.
Please ensure you have appropriate clothing with you for an outside undercover visit and be patient with our staff and volunteers who are trying to facilitate your visit.
Another issue has just come to my attention which I think could be easily overcome if families could communicate with each other so as not to book an outing with one family member and an onsite visit at the same time with another family member. This is very distressing for the resident to have to choose and very inconvenient for all parties when you find the resident is not on the premises or is otherwise engaged when you are ready to take them out. The booking platform is quite separate from the visiting appointment platform so please don’t expect Maroba staff to be able to keep looking up who is doing what.
As mentioned in Update #88, NSW Health protocol requires us to carry out a testing regime post outings, so that we can monitor your loved one for Covid -19.
Residents who leave the facility to attend a family gathering and return the same day should on return have a RAT on days 2, 4 and 7 after they return. If well, residents do not need to isolate. If they develop any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 they should immediately be isolated and have a RAT or PCR test.
Residents who do not return the same day should be isolated until they have a negative PCR, (RAT if delays in PCR processing) the day of return with subsequent tests on day 3, 5 and 7 after they return.
The requirement for families to RAT before taking residents out or visiting may seem burdensome to some individuals, however I would ask you to consider the actual burden for residents when there is an outbreak. The fact that staff must have a RAT every shift, it is not too much to ask that this protective measure continue for all who visit and are in close contact with each resident. Communal living has many benefits but it also has many risks. Communicable disease is very high in our minds and like you we have an aversion to resident confinement. We must all play our part as Covid continues to spread in the community.
As you are well aware RAT kits are a precious commodity and we are going through our supplies quickly as the frequency of testing has now escalated to include any resident who has been out of the facility even without experiencing symptoms. We will continue to monitor this closely as it is critical for staff to be able to access this testing regime before each shift, so please consider the number of outings each week before submitting excursion forms.
Our residents who have Covid-19 are doing well and continue to be assessed frequently throughout each day and night. The families of residents who have Covid have been contacted with a health update. A limited regime of Rapid Antigen testing is continuing in Waratah suburb as recommended by Health authorities, next due 8th Feb.
All residents have had their morning clinical assessment and I can report that no one is experiencing any symptoms which is always great news. As advised previously, if there is a concern about your loved one and their health the person responsible will be contacted by a member of our clinical team.
To re-cap on our visitation arrangements, bookings for visits during the week can be made via Reception on (02) 4935 0300 during business hours or by email enquiries@maroba.com.au. Unless there is a prior arrangement there is no general visiting possible over the weekend as we do not have the resources to monitor the required check-in procedures. Please do not turn up unannounced as you will be disappointed and turned away.
Whilst everyone is enjoying visiting and outings please stay vigilant as it will be early identification of illness and or exposure that will enable Maroba to act quickly and minimise any potential impact on residents and staff.
We continue to appreciate everyone’s co-operation so keep sharing these updates with friends and family so we don’t have any misunderstandings or frustrations on the day!
Yours sincerely,
Viv Allanson, CEO