Sunnyside Seniors’ Services has an Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team who are dedicated to the wellness and safety of the Sunnyside community.

Infection Control Reminders for Visiting at Sunnyside Home

We would like to remind all those who are visiting Sunnyside to monitor themselves for symptoms and not to visit if feeling unwell. If the person you are visiting is experiencing symptoms, please report them to registered staff immediately.

Visitors are asked to self-screen before they enter the building. This means that a visitor should not be experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Fever and/or chills
• New or worsening cough
• Shortness of breath
• Decrease or loss of sense of smell or taste
• Muscle aches/joint pain
• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuff/congested nose
• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea

Please sign in at the front entrance and note who you are visiting. Also, it is important to perform hand hygiene when coming into the building, before seeing a resident, after seeing a resident, and before you leave the building.

Outbreaks

What is an outbreak?

An outbreak refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease or health problem in a specific location or population.

Outbreaks can spread quickly in long-term care. Knowing how to recognize, manage, and report them can help keep our residents safe.

The two types of outbreaks that are common in Long-Term Care: Respiratory and Enteric.

A respiratory outbreak can include COVID-19, Influenza, or other acute respiratory infection (ARI)

An enteric outbreak means that there are multiple cases of a gastrointestinal illness with symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting

What does Sunnyside do when there is an outbreak?

The Sunnyside IPAC team closely monitors any symptoms that our residents are experiencing and reports to Public Health. Public Health decides if an outbreak is declared.

When an outbreak is declared, the Sunnyside IPAC team follows the directions of Public Health. Residents who experience symptoms are isolated and tested (if applicable.)

Outbreak measures vary depending on the severity and type. Some directions include (but are not limited to):

• Wearing a surgical mask
• Limiting the number of visitors a resident can have at a time
• Wearing provided personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Not leaving the home area and/or attending large home-wide programming
• Staff co-horted to only work in one area

If an outbreak is called, a list of outbreak measures is always posted on the Sunnyside website, sent via email to caregivers and residents, and posted at the main entrance.

Additional Safety Precautions

• Sunnyside promotes vaccines as an effective measure to prevent infectious diseases and encourages everyone to keep their immunizations up to date. Vaccines and immunization | ontario.ca
• Sunnyside will continue to maintain a sufficient supply of PPE at all times
• Staff and residents will continue to practice stringent hand hygiene
• Staff will wear PPE as directed by Public Health
• Sunnyside has a Pandemic Preparedness Plan that is revised regularly
• Sunnyside will continue to work closely with Public Health to ensure the highest standards of IPAC and will maintain an onsite IPAC team

Isolation and Testing

• Residents or staff who develop symptoms of a respiratory illness while in the home will immediately be isolated and tested for COVID-19
• If a resident tests positive for COVID-19, they will be isolated from other residents
• For staff who test positive for COVID-19, contact is traced back to prevent spread, and they will consult with the infection control team to determine a safe return to work

New Residents

When you become a member of the Sunnyside community, we will do our very best to introduce ourselves, make you comfortable and get to know you. We look forward to continuing your care, introducing you to new neighbours, and providing you with opportunities to socialize safely where possible.

Ensuring the health and safety of everyone who lives at Sunnyside requires that we take preventative measures for new residents arriving at Sunnyside Home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Residents who are admitted to Sunnyside Home or returning from another healthcare facility will not be tested or isolated for COVID-19 unless they are experiencing symptoms or moving from another long-term care home or healthcare facility in outbreak
• New residents experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have tested positive will be isolated according to Public Health Guidelines

IPAC Resources

• Public Health: How to stop the spread of germs (PDF poster)
• Public Health Ontario resources (resources available in multiple languages)
• Infectious Diseases | Public Health Ontario

If you have any IPAC-related questions, please contact Noel Belcourt, Coordinator, Infection Prevention and Control by email at nbelcourt@regionofwaterloo.ca or by phone at 519-893-8494 extension 6304