Letter for Families & Advocates - Freemasons Home update from CEO

14 January, 2022

 Dear Families and Advocates 

RE: Freemasons Update Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we manage the current situation at Freemasons Home. 

I am pleased to advise that as of 4pm yesterday afternoon all Residents and Staff at Freemasons Home returned negative Rapid Antigen Test results for Covid-19. 

Working together to ease restrictions within the Home

Working closely with Public Health and the Aged Care Emergency Operations Centre to ensure that we safely reopen the Home and minimise risks, I am happy to tell you that as of 11am today we can commence easing restrictions within in the home. 

This means that the Residents are able to move freely about the home, and meals will be served in the dining areas. 

The team will continue to keep you and your loved ones connected with phone calls, video calls and messages and group activities will recommence on Monday 17 January 2022. 

To keep you connected, please contact Reception on 6282 5200 and we will organise for a telephone or video call. 

Staff will transition from full PPE to N95 masks and protective eye wear over the comings days, with Rapid Antigen Testing no longer a requirement. 

Welcoming visitors Tuesday 18 January 2022

To help us minimise risks, we will be welcoming visitors to the home with the following requirements in place as of Tuesday 18 January 2022. 

• All visitors will be requested to wear N95 masks for the full duration of their visit. These will be provided by Masoninc Care Tasmania. 
• No more than two visitors per resident per day. 

We please ask that Family and Friends coordinate visits to their loved ones in accordance with this guidance, and all other visitor requirements as per Public Health Direction Residential Aged Care Facilities No 18 remain in place. 

Situations where masks wearing is recommended 

While masks are mandated in many places, including most indoor settings, the voluntary wearing of masks can offer additional protection against transmission to individuals and the community even when not mandated. 

For the safety of all Residents and Staff, we also ask that mask wearing is adhered to in situations where mask wearing is not mandatory, but highly recommended; for example: 

• when Residents are visiting Family and Friends in their home 
• when Residents are out in the community with Family and Friends 
• when Residents are travelling together in the car with Family and Friends. 

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Kaz and the team at Freemasons for the wonderful job they have done throughout this time to ensure the safety of our Residents and one another. 

I would like to sincerely thank you all for your ongoing support and understanding. Our residents, clients and workforce safety and wellbeing is our highest priority at this time. 

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact the facility managers directly who will be able to assist. 

Yours sincerely 

Jackie Howard
Chief Executive Officer
Masonic Care Tasmania Inc.