CEO Update to our valued community

19 March, 2020

Dear Residents, Community Clients and Visitors of Masonic Care Tasmania (MCT),

As you know, the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents, clients and staff is always our priority. We are actively monitoring information provided by the Australian Government Department of Health in relation to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert, and are taking active measures to reduce exposure to the virus and its potential impact on our organisation.

In order to help protect our residents, clients and staff, the following guidelines have been implemented today 19 March 2020:

Site Entry Requirements

• Access to our residential aged care facilities will be for essential visits only, and through main entrances
• Visits are to be short (less than 30 minutes’ duration)
• Visits will be limited to a maximum of two people at one time, once per day
• Visits are to be conducted in the resident’s room or specific areas designated by the Facility Manager (not communal spaces)
• No visitors to any Masonic Care Tasmania site after 6pm (unless previously agreed with the Facility Manager)

You will not be permitted to attend any Masonic Care Tasmania site in the following circumstances:

• You are a child under 16 years of age (reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the Facility Manager)
• You have returned from overseas in the last 14 days
• You have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days
• You have a fever or other flu-like symptoms or acute respiratory infection
• You have not been vaccinated against influenza – effective from 1 May 2020

If residents are at the end of their life the Facility Manager will agree alternative visiting arrangements with family and friends.

Program Changes
In line with social distancing guidelines, we are minimising resident outings to essential services only, e.g. visits to Specialist Doctors.

We are committed to enhancing the lives of our residents, clients and our community. We are therefore increasing our internal social activities and looking at other ways of supporting people while we are not running our usual social and group activities.

Stay in touch
Keeping people connected is a priority for us and we are actively investigating how we can continue to provide ways for our community to stay connected.
Residents are able to stay connected with their family, friends and support networks with phone calls, skype, messenger and FaceTime and we are enabling GP visits via video conference.
How can we help prevent the spread of coronavirus?
MCT is well accustomed to implementing infectious disease protocols and it is important we continue to follow these protocols now more than ever.
Practising good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against most viruses. You should:

• wash your hands frequently with soap and water, particularly before and after eating, and after going to the toilet
• cover your cough and sneeze, dispose of tissues, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• and if unwell, avoid contact with others

We will continue to keep you informed as things progress. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our team if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support and ongoing commitment to MCT.

Kind regards,

Jackie Howard
Chief Executive Officer
Masonic Care Tasmania