Resident Circular: The Year in Review
Looking Back at 2022
Dear Residents
This coming year will begin our thirtieth year caring for older Australians. During these years, we have enjoyed looking after you and making sure that care is always delivered at the right time and in the right way. At all times we have relied upon the services of a wonderful group of managers and nurse managers to lead this care. They, in turn, have been supported by outstanding carers, lifestyle staff, housekeepers, kitchen staff, laundry staff, maintenance staff and ancillary staff. It has been a great privilege for us to lead this whole team through 2022.
Indeed, we have greatly needed the support of our whole team during the 2020 2022 years: and, that support has been given! Because, without any doubt these years in aged care have had their own special issues, due to the challenges imposed by Covid-19.
Of course, during 2020 2021, we had waited with great anticipation for the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. We had initially been led to believe that once a person had the vaccine, then that person would not catch Covid-19. During 2021 and earlier this year all staff and most residents at Cheltenham Manor enthusiastically submitted to vaccination. Then we had our second vaccination, then our third and residents have also had their fourth. Then the different variants to the virus began presenting themselves and we all began to realise that the pandemic would not be over for our aged care world in 2022. This realisation has been difficult for management, staff and residents to have had to deal with. We will have to carefully keep considering how to deal with it in 2023.
Now you all recall that the first of the major variants swept into the Victorian community in December 2021 and January 2022. It was, however,
until the middle of 2020 nearly 2½ years after the arrival of the virus in Australia, that the first outbreak occurred at the Manor. Since then we
have successfully overcome 3 more outbreaks. All were caused by visitors removing PPE behind closed doors while visiting residents. There have been no hospitalisations or Covid related deaths. Three of the four outbreaks were confined to a single case. The fourth outbreak was also contained swiftly with minimal restrictions. By any measurement, that is an outstanding achievement.
In keeping the virus outbreaks to such tiny numbers, we want to thank all of the key nurses and administrators who formulated the infection control protocols. Without those protocols, it is almost certain that we would have had many more serious outbreaks affecting the Manor and its residents.
In essence, the infection control protocols revolved around quarantine of residents returning to the Manor, the testing of all visitors and staff
coming to the Manor and the wearing of N95 face masks by all non-residents at the Manor. We will be interested to hear from you at the upcoming end-of-year meetings as to what view you have of these protocols and whether they need to last into 2023.
Although Covid-19 has been a very important feature of 2022, it is not the only feature of the year. We have been greatly encouraged by the fact that through each of the waves of the virus our basic services within the Manor were delivered. Furthermore, your support and the support of our staff have kept a strongly positive spirit around the Manor while those services were delivered.
We have much to look forward to in 2023. This is because we are hopeful that we have got through the worst of the pandemic and we are hopeful that life at the Manor will be able to return to more normal times. Regardless, we will continue to maintain all the care and services that you require.
In 2022 we were also able to complete many improvements around the Manor: the upgrade to the pond and the upgrade to the Staff Room were two highlights. In 2023, we will be working out how to better utilize storage space and improve office workability. These relatively mundane improvements will help us contine to deliver strong resident focused services into the future while having larger storage capacity for items such as PPE. We will endeavour to minimise any inconvenience to you as these and various other upgrades are completed.
Brett McMahon
(Assistant Manager)