Visitor Policy
Policy
The Dearness Home will provide an organized process to ensure a safe environment for visits. The Home will observe relevant laws including any applicable directives, orders, guidance, advice or recommendations issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health or a medical officer of health appointed under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. This policy must be read in conjunction with the appended education material.
Purpose
To seek to maintain emotional well-being of residents by the provision of meaningful, equitable and safe access for visitors.
Visitor types
Essential Visitor: Essential Visitors meet an essential need for residents or for the operation of the Home, and have access during all types of outbreaks, epidemic or pandemic, subject to any applicable laws.
There are 4 kinds of Essential Visitors:
1. Person visiting a very ill or end-of-life resident:
- End of life period is determined by the physician and communicated to the Power of Attorney/Substitute Decision Maker (POA/SDM care) by the Home
- Essential Visitors for end of life must be designated by the resident or the SDM/POA
- End of Life Spiritual Care support from the community can also be arranged.
- The end-of-Life visitor may still enter if the screen is failed, does not have to observe visiting times, and must always wear the butterfly sticker in a visible area of upper bodies.
2. Government inspectors with a statutory right of entry:
- Government inspectors that have a statutory right to enter long-term care homes. include inspectors under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, the Health Protection and Promotion Act, the Electricity Act, 1998, the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
3. Support Workers:
Support workers are persons who visit a home to provide support to the critical operations of the home and essential services to residents. These include:
- Those delivering services as regulated health professionals (physicians and nurse practitioners etc.)
- Assistive Devices Program vendors –- for example, oxygen therapy vendors
- Those moving a resident in or out of a home & those delivering Social work services and Legal services and Post-mortem services
- Emergency services (for example, such as those provided by first responders)
- Maintenance services such as those entering to service operational systems such as Heating, Cooling and Ventilation (HVAC), mechanical, electrical, plumbing and telecommunication systems
- Those delivering food, mail or election services.
4. Caregiver (also known as Essential Caregiver or EC at Dearness Home):
Details provided at the end of this policy
Note: The Home will create and maintain a list of Caregivers (Essential Caregivers or ECs), and of Essential Visitors at the end of life. These lists will be available for relevant/appropriate staff members to access.
General Visitor:
A general visitor is a person who is not an essential visitor and is visiting:
To provide non-essential services, who may or may not be hired by the home or the resident or their substitute decision maker for social reasons (for example, family members or friends) that the resident or their substitute decision-maker assess as different from direct care, including care related to cognitive stimulation, meaningful connection, and relational continuity.
In addition, general visitors may include persons attending the home for other purposes which may include but are not limited to:
- Personal care service providers (for example, hairdressers, barbers, manicurists, etc.)
- Entertainers
- Recreational service providers
- Animal handlers (for example, as part of therapy animal program)
- Individuals who are touring the home to inform decisions regarding application for admission
Responsibility
The Administrator will have overall responsibility and draft policy and related guidelines. The infection control lead will direct infection control in relation to visits to the Home. The Manager, Community Life will monitor and oversees visits during times of government restrictions.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Training Requirements
- All visitors should read the “Safe Visit Education” poster before entering the Home.
- On first visiting the Home and at least annually, all visitors should read the “Visitors Infection Prevention and Control Education Training” (see Appendix). Copies are available at reception and online at the Dearness Home website.
- Upon request, visitors may arrange in-person IPAC instruction with the IPAC Coordinator by calling 519-661-2489, extension 8324.
Instructions for visits to the Dearness Home
- Access to the Home is only available during visiting hours – 9am - 9pm, 7 days a week including holidays (not applicable to end-of-life visitors)
- Visitors must:
- Leave the Home by 9pm and not arrive before 9am
- Read the screening poster - visitor must be able to answer no to all screening questions to enter the Home (not applicable to end-of-life visitors)
- Read any posted infectious disease outbreak notices and follow directions provided re. personal protective equipment etc.
- Read the Safe Visit Education posters.
- Clean hands using the hand-sanitizer provided.
- Consider wearing a mask (recommended) and ensure it covers both the mouth and nose
- Complete the sign-in, sign-out register located at reception (required by the government and retained for a minimum of 30 days)
Non-adherence by visitors
The home has the discretion to end a visit by any visitor who repeatedly fails to adhere to the home’s visitor policy and/or code of conduct.
Prohibiting a visitor
Dearness Home has the discretion to temporarily prohibit a visitor in response to flagrant non-adherence with the home’s visitor policy.
Government restrictions
Access to the Home may vary according to regulations put in place by the Province.
Communication
Dearness Home will communicate evolving visiting information and policy by using one or more of the following:
- If practically possible, visiting changes will be implemented following either discussion with, or prior notice to, both the Resident Council and the Family Council.
- For Residents: via posting information on notice boards and/or TVTOUR screens, in- person conversations, and/or Resident Council minutes binder.
- For POA/SDM for care: via calls from staff, robo-calls, e-mails and posting information on the Dearness Home website and at the entrance.
- For other potential visitors: via calls from staff, robo-calls and posting information on the Dearness website and at the entrance.
Caregiver information
A Caregiver/Essential Caregiver (EC) is designated by the resident and/or their Power of Attorney or Substitute Decision Maker for care. They provide direct care to the resident (feeding, mobility, personal hygiene, cognitive stimulation, communication, meaningful connection, relational continuity, etc.)
At Dearness Home:
- There is no maximum number of Caregivers registered to one resident
- The same person may be designated as Caregiver for more than one resident (access to residents may be limited by public health where outbreak measures are in effect)
- Caregivers be at least 16 years of age; permission from the parental guardian needed under age 16.
- Caregivers will be educated in person prior to gaining the Caregiver designation
- During outbreak and when the resident they are visiting is in isolation, Caregivers will wear the designated PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during their visit
- Caregivers will receive in-person education on the Dearness Home
- Please contact the Manager, Community Life (519-661-0400 x8271) to discuss becoming a Caregiver
Appendices
Dearness Home Visitor Infection Prevention and Control Education
Safety is important to all of us at Dearness Home. Please take some time to read through the information below and reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding safety at Dearness Home.
Self-Screening
Visitors will now be required to self-screen before entering Dearness Home. Visitors will be asked to answer the following questions. If any of the following question are answered with a 'yes', visitors are not to enter the Home.
In the last 10 days, have you experienced any of the symptoms listed below?
- Fever and/or chills - temperature of 38 degrees Celsius/100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- Cough or barking cough (croup) - not related to asthma, post-infectious reactive airways, COPD, or other known cause of conditions you already have.
- Shortness of breath - not related to asthma or other known causes or conditions you already have.
- Decrease of loss of smell or taste- not related to seasonal allergies, neurological disorders, or other known cause of conditions you already have.
- Muscle aches and/or joint pain - unusual, long-lasting muscle aches and/or joint pain. Not related to a sudden injury, fibromyalgia, or other known causes or conditions you already have.
- Fatigue - unusual tiredness, lack of energy (not related to depression, insomnia, thyroid disfunction or other known causes or conditions you already have.) If you have received a Covid-19 and/or flu vaccination in the last 48 hours and are experiencing mild fatigue that only began after the vaccination, please select "No"
- Sore Throat - painful or difficulty swallowing (not related to post-nasal drop, acid reflux or other known causes or conditions you already have.)
- Runny or stuffy/congested nose - not related to seasonal allergies, being outside in cold weather or other known causes or conditions you already have.
- Headache - new, unusual, long-lasting (not related to tension-type headaches, chronic migraines, or other known causes or conditions you already have.)
- Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea - not related to irritable bowl syndrome, anxiety, menstrual cramps or other known causes or conditions you already have.
You can answer NO to the above is all of the following apply:
- Since your symptoms began, you tested negative for Covid-19 on one PCR test or rapid molecular test OR two rapid antigen test taken 24-48 hours a part.
- You do not have a fever
- Your symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (48 hours if you have nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.)
Have you been told you should currently be quarantining, isolating, staying at home or not attending high risk settings such as long-term care homes or RH?
This could include being told by a doctor or health care provider, public health unit, federal agent or other government authority.
If you answered YES, we ask that you do NOT come into the Home and complete your isolation period as directed.
In the last 10 days, regardless of whether you are currently self-isolating or note, have you tested positive for Covid-19, including on a rapid antigen test of home-based self-testing kit?
If you have since tested negative on a lab-based PCR test, you will answer NO to this question.
If your answer is YES, we ask that you do not come into the Home and complete your isolation period as directed.
Hand Hygiene, PPE and Masking - Why It's Important.
Alcohol-based hand rub is the preferred method of sanitizing because it is faster and more readily available. When there is no visible soiling of the hands, the following hand hygiene technique is to be followed:
- Dispense a "Loonie-sized" amount of hand sanitizer onto hands;
- Rub hand sanitizer thoroughly on hands ensuring areas in between fingers and the tips of the fingers are well covered and
- Allow the hand sanitizer to air dry; do not rub it off with a paper towel.
Sanitizing of the hands should happen:
- Before and after any care,
- After using the washrooms,
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing,
- Before and after entering and leaving the resident room,
- After touching any frequently-touched surfaces such as hand rails, doorknobs, elevator buttons and cell phones; and
- Before and after feeding a resident.
Please visit the following Public Health webpages for additional instruction: