The Sunshine Centre is in Outbreak.

As Omicron is spreading in Waterloo Region and around the world, information and procedures are changing by the minute. We know that this variant is highly contagious. Our commitment is to keep residents & team members safe & informed during this time.

The updates below are specific to The Sunshine Centre which is part of the RHRA (Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority). 98% of Sunshine Centre residents are fully vaccinated with a booster!

Life Lease (Atrium Condos & Garden Villas) are asked to follow all public health guidelines & Village updates at this time. 

Updates for Sunshine Centre Essential Caregivers:

All essential caregivers must complete rapid antigen testing twice weekly upon entering the Sunshine Centre (essential caregivers include family members who provide care, a privately hired caregiver, paid companions, and publicly funded care providers).

PPE Requirements: Everyone in the Sunshine Centre (residents excepted) is required to wear eye protection. This can be either a face shield of goggles. During this time any staff or essential caregiver entering a residents suite is required to wear full PPE: gowns, O2 or N95 respirator, eye protection and gloves.

(Please note: Isolation kits are available on each floor by the breakfast bar for essential caregivers to access upon arrival)

We are updating our screening questions to include cold or flu-like symptoms. Most of the positive cases have been reporting sore throat and coughing. If you are UNWELL, please refrain from coming to the campus.

Effective immediately, unvaccinated essential caregivers are only permitted to visit in resident's suites. ALL essential caregivers must be registered with us. If you are unsure of your essential caregiver status please contact RPN Supervisor, Janet Faber (jfaber@luthervillage.org). All changes to this list must be made by the resident or their POA (care). Changes should be minimal during this time to decrease contacts and exposure risks for residents. 

We are restricting the number of essential caregivers to two per resident (excluding external care providers coming to provide direct care to resident).

We had many questions about why we are allowing unvaccinated essential caregivers to visit on site. RHRA has indicated that licensed retirement homes in Ontario are prohibited from restricting access to essential caregivers who are not fully vaccinated. They must be permitted entry at all times.

For more information, COVID-19 (coronavirus) Updates and Resources for Residents and Families – Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (rhra.ca)

Updates for Sunshine Centre General Visitors: 

A general visitor is a person who is not an essential caregiver and visits for social reasons or to provide non-essential services. This also includes prospective residents and their families touring the Sunshine Centre.

NO GENERAL VISITORS ARE PERMITTED TO ENTER SUNSHINE CENTRE AT THIS TIME.

When General Visitors are Permitted: Effective immediately general visitors who are not fully vaccinated are not able to enter the Sunshine Centre. This includes children five years and over.

Fully-Vaccinated general visitors will be required to complete rapid antigen testing upon arrival. Please come prepared with your kit. We are sourcing more kits however we do not presently have sufficient supply to provide kits to general visitors.

Proof of negative result will be required at the Front Desk prior to entry.

Other Important Updates:

All self testing can be completed in the Little Hall (located to the left of the Sunshine Centre entrance or outside in your vehicle). We do encourage people to do these test prior to entry. All visiting must now occur within the resident's suite and residents may only have 2 visitors at a time. 

Please note if an individual has tested positive within the last 30 days and has been cleared by Public Health, antigen testing is not recommended. Individuals will be required to provide a positive test (from a lab-based PCR test) as part of active screening.

Consistent with provincial direction, effective January 4th we will require QR codes as proof of full vaccination. Individuals can download their enhanced certificate with QR code by visiting https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ 

Please contact us directly if you have any additional questions regarding COVID-19 & The Village.