Easter 2022
We are all looking forward to a break and catching up with loved ones over Easter. We ask you to refresh your familiarity with our visiting guidelines. COVID-19 is still in the community and we expect Victoria is likely to experience another serious spike in cases with a new Omicron variant beginning to grow. The risks from COVID-19 remains acutely high for older and frail people which is concerning for residents in Aged Care.

We are proposing the following -

1. Continue testing all employees entering our homes multiple times a week.
2. Ensure everyone entering our homes wears a well-fitting N95 or P2 mask AND completes the screening using Zipline.
   
3. Test all residents multiple times a week so we can detect any incursion of COVID-19 quickly and early and be able to implement infection control measures immediately. If this occurs, it is likely to result in the closure of the home to all visitors for a period of time – something we are working hard to avoid.
4. Preparing to implement testing of all visitors on entry to the home. If implemented, this will delay your entry into the home by at least 15 minutes. We will request your patience with this when introduced.

All visitors are responsible for

• Only visiting when they are well
• Continuing to comply with the mandatory screening requirements - Zipline
• Visitors to the homes do not need to complete a RAT before entry but it is recommended
• Residents can have up to two visitors at a time visit the public areas of the home Residents receiving more than two visitors at a time, will be required to conduct visits in their bedroom or in outdoor areas of the home
• It is Benetas policy that all visitors (including children who qualify for vaccination) to our homes must be up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19. Evidence may be requested. All unvaccinated visitors will be required to wear PPE – gown, mask and gloves for the duration of the visit. This means children over the age of 5 who are not vaccinated, will need to wear the PPE as described above.
• It is Benetas policy that all visitors must also be vaccinated against Flu in 2022 and show evidence of this by 22 May, 2022
• Continuing to wear a face mask inside the home throughout their visit – this is not to be removed at any time.

Where it can be arranged, we will offer outdoor visiting areas that will not require a visitor to wear a mask. In these instances social distancing should be maintained. We encourage residents to socialise outside of the home and we request everyone follows COVID safe measures by wearing masks where required, social distancing and hand hygiene.

If you are unvaccinated and visiting for an end-of-life reason, you will be asked to wear full PPE of gown, mask and gloves.

We wish everyone a happy and safe Easter and thank you for your understanding and support while we keep your loved ones and our employees well and comfortable.

Last update: 30 March 2022

Latest Government Directions
The Victorian Government has released their latest Care Facilities Directions outlining the way in which visits to aged care homes should be managed.

In an effort to support more families to remain connected and spend time together, Benetas will adopt the following from Monday 28 February:

• All visitors are responsible for only visiting when they are well
• Everyone entering our aged care homes must continue to comply with the mandatory screening requirements using the Zipline entry system.
• Visitors to the homes do not need to complete a RAT before entry
• It is Benetas policy that all visitors (including children who qualify for vaccination) to our homes must be up to date with their vaccinations against COVID-19, this includes a third booster dose. Evidence may be requested. Exceptions to this policy need to negotiated with the Residential Manager
• It is Benetas policy that all visitors must also be vaccinated against Flu in 2022 and show evidence of this by 28 May, 2022
• Visitors will continue to be required to wear a face mask and shield inside the home throughout their visit
• Where it can be arranged, we will offer outdoor visiting areas that will not require a visitor to wear a mask. In these instances social distancing should be maintained.
• If you are unvaccinated and visiting for an end-of-life reason, you will be asked to wear full PPE including a gown, mask, face shield and gloves.
• In addition we encourage residents to socialise outside of the home and we request everyone follows COVID safe measures by wearing masks where required, social distancing and hand hygiene.

If the Public Health Unit advice is that a home is closed to visitors due to an Exposure / Outbreak, then the above will not apply and we will follow the guidelines determined by the Public Health Units. Under these circumstances, we will continue to support visits for end-of-life care and for other exceptional reasons. Please discuss this with the Manager if this applies to you.

We welcome a more open approach to visiting and trust our community to work with us in protecting the health and happiness of our highly valued residents and employees.

Last update: 28 February 2022

Benetas supported the Australian Government’s rollout of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program for all aged care residents, employees and volunteers as a matter of priority. We can happily report that 100% of our Aged Care and Home care employees are fully vaccinated. In addition we are working with the Public Health Unit to deliver COVID-19 Vaccine boosters for all of our Aged Care Residents.

Benetas Board Director, Dr Michael Murray AM, is Director of Geriatric Medicine and his wife, Dr Mary O’Reilly, is Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Austin Health. In this video, they answer questions we’ve been receiving from employees, residents, clients and families about the COVID-19 vaccination program.

In their second video, Dr Michael Murray AM and Dr Mary O’Reilly address the concerns we have been hearing about the very slim potential side effect of blood clots after having the

Older Australians have access to a dedicated free call service to support the mental health of those affected by the spread of COVID-19. The phone line is staffed by advisers who can offer practical help and advice and is a partnership between OPAN, COTA and National Seniors Australia.

Call 1800 171 866 from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm (except public holidays).

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing, supported by Benetas, has also launched the Multilingual Older Persons COVID-19 Support Line.

The support line is funded by the Australian Department of Health, and is an Australia-wide initiative that provides in-language information and support associated with COVID-19, and referrals to appropriate services and programs for older Australians from culturally diverse backgrounds.

The support line is available in Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese. All calls are free, 2:00pm - 5:00pm (Melbourne time) Monday to Fridays (except public holidays).

If you have any further questions or feedback please contact Covid19Enquiries@benetas.com.au.