Author: despinao

Update to Whiddon families – Easton Park and Hornsby

18 May 2021

Visitor restrictions update

We’re pleased to share that NSW Health has advised the restrictions to visitors coming into residential aged care homes within the Greater Sydney area, including metropolitan Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong have been removed.

As a reminder to all visitors, please postpone your visits into any of our Whiddon care homes if you:

Please remember to make a booking before visiting and to ensure you check in by scanning the QR code available in reception areas. This is still mandatory for all visitors. 

Update on the COVID-19 vaccine at Whiddon Grafton

11 May 2021

Please be advised that we have received advice that Whiddon Grafton residents who have chosen to have the COVID-19 vaccine will be given their first of dose of the vaccine on Monday, 17 May.

We will be advising residents of this date. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Sandra Osborne, Director Care Services – Whiddon Grafton.

Update to Whiddon Moree Families

10 May 2021

Outbreak Update

We are pleased to advise that our home is now out of lockdown. If you intend on visiting our home, please be aware that you will need to:

  • have your temperature checked before entering
  • advise if you have been to any known hotspot locations
  • postpone your visit if you do have any flu-like symptoms to reduce the likely spread of any flu-like illnesses.

Visitor restrictions update

In light of the unfolding COVID-19 situation in Sydney, NSW Health has advised that the visitor restrictions announced last week have been extended for further seven days. This applies to Whiddon Easton Park and Whiddon Hornsby.

Visitors must not enter any aged care facility in NSW at all if they:

Please ensure you don’t visit if you are unwell, stay 1.5 m from others and practice good hand hygiene.

The Chief Health Officer is advising all residential aged care facilities in NSW to implement electronic check-in systems to support efficient contact tracing if positive COVID-19 cases were to occur in a facility. Please remember to check in when visiting by scanning the QR code available in reception areas.

Update to Whiddon families

10 May 2021

Visitor restrictions update

In light of the unfolding COVID-19 situation in Sydney, NSW Health has advised that the visitor restrictions announced last week have been extended for further seven days. This applies to Whiddon Easton Park and Whiddon Hornsby.

Visitors must not enter any aged care facility in NSW at all if they:

Please ensure you don’t visit if you are unwell, stay 1.5 m from others and practice good hand hygiene.

The Chief Health Officer is advising all residential aged care facilities in NSW to implement electronic check-in systems to support efficient contact tracing if positive COVID-19 cases were to occur in a facility. Please remember to check in when visiting by scanning the QR code available in reception areas.

Update to Whiddon Hornsby families

10 May 2021

Visitor restrictions update

As announced over the weekend, NSW Health has advised that the current restrictions to visitors coming into residential aged care homes within the Greater Sydney area, including metropolitan Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong have been extended for a further seven days. This applies to Whiddon Easton Park and Whiddon Hornsby. Visitors must wear a mask and will be required to have their temperature checked before entering our home.

Visitors must not enter any aged care facility in NSW at all if they:

Please ensure you don’t visit if you are unwell, stay 1.5 m from others and practice good hand hygiene.

The Chief Health Officer is advising all residential aged care facilities in NSW to implement electronic check-in systems to support efficient contact tracing if positive COVID-19 cases were to occur in a facility. Please remember to check in when visiting by scanning the QR code available in reception areas.

Update to Whiddon Easton Park families

10 May 2021

Visitor restrictions update

As announced over the weekend, NSW Health has advised that the current restrictions to visitors coming into residential aged care homes within the Greater Sydney area, including metropolitan Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong have been extended for a further seven days. This applies to Whiddon Easton Park and Whiddon Hornsby. Visitors must wear a mask and will be required to have their temperature checked before entering our home.

Visitors must not enter any aged care facility in NSW at all if they:

Please ensure you don’t visit if you are unwell, stay 1.5 m from others and practice good hand hygiene.

The Chief Health Officer is advising all residential aged care facilities in NSW to implement electronic check-in systems to support efficient contact tracing if positive COVID-19 cases were to occur in a facility. Please remember to check in when visiting by scanning the QR code available in reception areas. If you don’t have a smart phone, please use the iPad that is available at Reception.

Visiting Easton Park

We would also like to remind families, friends and visitors to abide by the speed limits within our campus. At any given time, we often have employees and residents walking around our campus and we ask you ensure to keep to the speed limits at all times.

Case Conferences

If at any time you would like to discuss your loved ones care, please feel free to make contact with a team member so that we can organise a Case Conference with you.

Reminder to book your visits

Please be reminded to book in before you visit.

For Arthur Webb Court bookings phone: 02 9827 6725
For Easton Park Units bookings phone: 02 9827 6735
For Sir David Martin bookings phone: 02 9827 6666
For Taylor House bookings phone: 02 9827 6774

Update to Whiddon Moree Families – The week that was

An update from Martha, Director Care Services – Whiddon Moree 

Hello everyone,

We’ve had a lot going on this week and I wanted to take the opportunity to share what’s been going on at our home.

In regards to the recent respiratory outbreak, we do not yet have a classification of the strain, however we have had no new cases today and are continuing to work with the Public Health Unit.

While we cannot stop families and visitors from coming in at the moment, we would like to try and limit activity within our home as much as possible for now. The Public Health Unit have advised that there are numerous respiratory strains within the wider community of Moree, and we want to ensure our residents and employees are kept as safe as possible.

All residents are in good spirits.

In addition, here is a summary of other exciting events that have been happening in our home:

  1. We celebrated two resident birthdays.
  2. We have welcomed 2 new physiotherapists, Schweta and Dax, who will be with us 4 days a week.  This will enable us to increase our physiotherapy services to our residents which we are very excited about!
  3. We have held church services, skittles, bowls, music sessions and art therapy classes to keep our residents engaged and participating in the things they love.
  4. A reminder that we will be holding a family meeting on the 19th of May at 5.30pm.  Please RSVP by 17th May by calling 02 6752 9200 if you would like to attend.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend and I encourage you to please do reach out to me if you have any concerns.

Martha Rowe
Director Care Services

Latest COVID-19 Christmas period update for families at Easton Park and Hornsby

We have received advice today, 23rd December from NSW Health regarding the current COVID-19 situation. As a result of the current cluster in the Northern Beaches, our initial COVID-safe Christmas Plans have had to be amended. There have been no cases of COVID-19 at any of Whiddon’s care homes.

Until at least Wednesday, 30 December 2020 the following directives are in place:

  • Up to two visitors per day are permitted to visit residents in residential aged care facilities in Greater Sydney (including local Government areas of Central Coast and Wollongong). Visitors from the Northern Beaches LGA are excluded.
  • All staff and visitors must wear a mask in the care facilities

If visits can be delayed and a later festive gathering organised, we do encourage you to consider this if possible.

Outings and Excursions

Residents from residential aged care facilities in Greater Sydney should not leave the facility to attend family gatherings and group excursions unless the visit is essential (such as a medical appointment).

If a resident makes a decision to leave the facility to attend a family gathering or excursion, it is a requirement for the resident  to go into 14-day self-isolation upon return.

Our teams have already been working on putting plans into place that will allow residents to connect with their families on Christmas Day. From Skype and Zoom sessions, to phone calls, and across some of our homes we are able to facilitate risk-free visits. Please speak to our team to organise your session.

Please also keep in mind that these measures are directives from NSW Health. Our teams are working extremely hard to keep our residents happy and engaged, with an extra focus on Christmas Day.

If you do have any questions, please call 1300 738 388.

Risk Free Visits for families

We understand that the last few weeks have been difficult due to the restricted visiting that’s in place to protect residents.

We have come up with a way of enabling risk free visiting, and we hope that you will try it! It’s a great way for you to be able to see your loved one, and you can bring a limited number of other family members, such as grandchildren. Risk free visits involve:

  • Not entering the care home but accessing the outside in a designated area where you will be able to see your loved one
  • There will be a physical barrier in place, such as a window or doorway to ensure that there is no infection risk
  • We will have staff assisting the your family member and the visit with a telephone (so that you can still talk to each other)
  • Chairs will be provided for your comfort. And other arrangements will be made if it is cold or bad weather.

For family members hoping to try this risk free visit, please be aware of the following:

  • Bookings are essential. You will need to call the Care Home and book in a visiting time.
  • A maximum of 2 people can visit, plus grandchildren. (Children must be under your control at all times. They will not be allowed to access other parts of the Care Home gardens as this puts other residents at risk)
  • Please cancel your visit if things change and you are unable to come due to ill health or other reasons.
  • When booking, you will be asked if you are well and without symptoms of cold and flu. Please do not arrange a visit if you or anyone else accompanying you has symptoms
  • Visits will be restricted to 30 minutes only to ensure that everyone gets a chance to enjoy these visits
  • A staff member will meet you outside the reception doors to take you to the dedicated area. Our reception doors will be locked, so please ring the team at reception when you arrive if the staff member isn’t there already
  • Please do not wander around the outside of the care home unaccompanied while you wait for them
  • Please bring your own refreshments and equipment that you might need for comfort (other than a chair, which we will provide) as we sadly are unable to offer you anything.

Stay connected with our residents

The last 18 months have been challenging for our residents who are missing their loved ones due to the visitor restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19.

We want to continue helping our residents feel connected to the community. We know they’ve missed their buddies from the local pre-schools, primary schools and high schools immensely, as well as the friendly faces of volunteers and employees who often visit residents within our homes.

We’d love to have you involved in brightening up our residents’ days by sending messages and good wishes perhaps together with pictures and drawings.

Here’s how you can get involved. 

  1. Download one of our templates. You can also use any sheets of paper you have if you’re unable to print the template off:
  2. Select one of our locations to write to
  3. Share the finished product with us via email or through our Facebook messenger (at this stage, we are trying to reduce any risk so will be accepting digital copies to share with residents)
  4. Watch our social channels for the finished product!
  5. If your child would also like a reply from one of our residents, please let us know in your email or Facebook message
We do hope you’re all keeping safe and thank you for choosing to put a smile on our residents’ faces!