Author: Hansel Almeida

Dear Residents and Families

Cyclone Alfred Update: 5th March 2025

As Cyclone Alfred approaches, we will keep you updated about our Whiddon Homes in the affected areas. We are taking the following steps to prepare:

• Adding extra generators and fuel
• Stocking up on food and medication
• Securing homes for extreme weather
• Monitoring local weather and advice from SES and Councils
• Preparing evacuation procedures if needed

Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our residents and employees. We have strong plans in place for various scenarios.

Please limit your contact with the Home over the next few days as our teams focus on preparations. We will send regular SMS updates about the Home’s status. If phone lines go down, calls will be diverted to the Emergency Mobile phone, and the team will respond as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging time.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Employees

Cyclone Alfred Update: 5th March 2025

As we prepare for challenging weather, your safety is our priority. We have a strong plan to support our Homes and people affected by the cyclone.

Stay Safe

Please:

• Do not travel to work if it is unsafe (e.g., flooded roads, extreme weather) or if you have other responsibilities (e.g., caring for children due to school closures)
• Keep your mobile phone charged and on-hand for updates.
• Monitor the SES Website and ABC News Radio for weather updates.
• For urgent situations, call the SES at 132 500 or dial 000 in an emergency.
• Secure your home in preparation for the cyclone.

Extra Support

If you can safely travel to work and are willing to work extra hours, please contact your RSM. This will help us continue to care for our residents if staffing levels are affected by the weather.

We will provide regular updates over the coming days.

Take Care

The Whiddon Team

Dear Employees,

Cyclone Alfred Update: Service Cancellations and Safety Advice

Due to government warnings about Cyclone Alfred, we are cancelling all non-essential Home Care Services  (domestic assistance, social support, some transport services) from tomorrow, 6th  until Sunday 9th March to ensure everyone’s safety.

Essential services (personal care, medication and welfare checks) will continue as long as it is safe, but may also be cancelled if conditions worsen. Our Scheduling Team will contact you if there are any changes to essential services.

Stay Safe

Please take all necessary steps to stay safe this week. We may experience strong winds, heavy rain, and potential flash flooding. During this time:

• Do not travel to your shift if it is unsafe (e.g., flooded roads, extreme weather) or if you have other responsibilities (e.g., caring for children due to school closures, or protecting).
• Keep your mobile phone charged and on-hand for updates.
• Monitor the SES Website and ABC News Radio for weather updates.
• For urgent situations, call the SES at 132 500 or dial 000 in an emergency.
• Secure your home in preparation for the cyclone.

Support for Residential Aged Care (RAC) Homes

Our RACs need additional support and staffing during the cyclone. If you are near a RAC and it is safe to travel, please contact your Coordinator if you can help care for our residents at the RAC during this time.

We will provide regular updates over the coming days.

Take care,

The Whiddon Team

Dear Clients and families,

Important Update 5.3.25: Service Changes Due to Cyclone Alfred

Due to Cyclone Alfred and the safety of our people, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all non-essential (DA, some transport) Home Care Services in your area starting tomorrow, 6th March until Sunday 9th March.

We will reschedule these services once it is safe. If you have issues, please contact us as soon as possible.

Essential services (personal care, medication, welfare checks) will continue for now,  but may also be cancelled if conditions worsen.

We will contact you if this happens and discuss other ways to support you.

For any concerns, call us on 1300 738 638 between 6am – 5pm, or follow the prompts to speak with an On-Call team member.

For urgent assistance, contact SES at 132 500 or dial 000 in an emergency.

Take care, and we will keep you updated.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Families and Employees

As you would be aware, the Government has issued alerts regarding Tropical Cyclone Alfred  for Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales residents.

This weather event could bring damaging  winds,  heavy rainfall and possibly flash flooding, in areas of NSW and Queensland coasts from today.  

The safety and wellbeing of our clients and employees is our priority and we are taking every effort to prepare for this weather situation.

We are asking our clients to take steps now to ensure that if you are asked to evacuate, you have a plan in place and know where you will go.

Due to the weather conditions, we may be required to make changes to some of your home care services if it is not safe to continue. If you need to contact us about your services, please call us on 1300 738 388. Our team will also be making welfare calls to clients in high alert areas.  

We have prepared a Flood Preparation Checklist which you can view here.  

The bureau encourages residents to stay up to date with the latest tropical cyclone information on their website and on the news stations.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has deployed additional flood rescue and storm response staff – you can contact the SES on 132 500 if you need support with sandbagging.

If you are facing an emergency, please ensure you contact 000.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter and we will continue to do everything we can to support you during this time.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Families and Employees

As many of you are aware, the Government has issued alerts regarding Tropical Cyclone Alfred  for Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales residents.

This weather event could bring damaging  winds,  heavy rainfall and possibly flash flooding, in areas of NSW and Queensland coasts from today.  

The safety and wellbeing of our residents and employees is our priority and we are taking every effort to prepare for this weather situation. We have reviewed our generators, fuel and food stocks and continue to closely monitor for updates and advice from the SES.

In the rare event that an evacuation is required, our teams are fully briefed on our Emergency Management Plans and will ensure that we keep you updated at every step of the way.

While we always welcome visitors at Whiddon, we encourage you to also prepare and stay safe, and to avoid travel to our impacted Homes over the next few days.

In the event that you are unable to contact your local Home, you can call our team on 1300 738 388 and we will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.  

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Families, Friends & Representatives,

Following consultation with the Public Health Unit, we are pleased to inform you that the outbreak in Arthur Webb Court has been declared over.

As a precautionary measure, all visitors must continue to wear surgical masks due to cases in the community.

We thank everyone for their support and understanding whilst our team managed this latest Outbreak.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Whiddon Employees,

In the interest of open disclosure, we write to you to advise, that a sum of money has gone missing at the Kyogle facility.

We are very saddened by this news and would like to take this opportunity to discourage all residents, families and team members from having large sums of money on the premises where possible.

We would like to reassure you that we are carrying out a thorough investigation of these matters with the assistance of the NSW police. We have also reported these incidents to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission as part of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS).

We have also shared an update with residents and their families, and reminded them of the statement in the Resident Handbook relating to storing valuable personal items:

If you would like to discuss these matters further, please do not hesitate to speak to me.

Kind Regards

Alaya Mu
Kyogle Residential Services Manager

Dear Families, Friends & Representatives,

In the interest of open disclosure, we write to you to advise, that a sum of money has gone missing at the Kyogle facility.

We are very saddened by this news and would like to take this opportunity to discourage all residents, families and team members from having large sums of money on the premises where possible.

We would like to reassure you that we are carrying out a thorough investigation of these matters with the assistance of the NSW police. We have also reported these incidents to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission as part of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS).

We are unable to store personal items of value on your behalf and encourage you to store valuable items securely in your room. We understand that you may wish to bring your own small items and soft furnishings with you, to make this feel more like your home. Please reach out to a team member if you have any questions in relation to which items are appropriate.

If you would like to discuss these matters further, please do not hesitate to speak to me.

Kind Regards

Alaya Mu
Kyogle Residential Services Manager

Dear Families, Friends & Representatives,

Following consultation with the Public Health Unit, we are pleased to inform you that the outbreak in Arthur Webb Court has been declared over.

As a precautionary measure, all visitors must continue to wear surgical masks due to cases in the community.

We thank everyone for their support and understanding whilst our team managed this latest Outbreak.

The Whiddon Team