As part of our commitment to be transparent and share as much information as possible regarding cases of COVID-19 in our buildings, we are sharing an update to let you know more about the tremendous work being done by our teams to support and protect seniors in our community.
Please click here for the most recent update about COVID-19 in St Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre.
This last week has been a difficult week for the SPLC community. We learned that COVID-19 has infected three of our seniors. Sadly, we have lost one member of our community and two more are in hospital. We are thankful to have heard from family that those two seniors (a couple) in hospital are expected to recover.
COVID-19 is an infectious virus and anyone can be infected. Even a number of world leaders and celebrities have been infected. The virus can be passed between people when they are close to each other or by touching infected surfaces. That is why we are taking many precautions to keep seniors as safe as possible.
Staff take action to support seniors
We want to share with you information about what’s been happening ‘behind the scenes’ to show you the quick action our staff has taken. We hope you will feel reassured knowing that we have a team of very dedicated and compassionate staff working hard to support all seniors in our community.
For example, it was a caring and astute security personnel and janitor who noticed that a tenant was looking unwell and thought to check on him after not seeing him for a few days. They found him unresponsive in his apartment and that led to authorities informing us of our first COVID-19 case among tenants.
Just a few days later, two more cases involving the couple who live together were discovered through our Security Check program. When the couple did not respond to our checks, we reached out to family who informed us that the couple had been hospitalized and have tested positive for COVID-19. Security Checks are available to all residents and tenants and can be arranged by calling us at 416-493-3333.
Providing wellness checks and support
Recognizing that there are three confirmed cases of COVID-19 among seniors all who live on the same floor, our staff mobilized immediately to support our seniors.
Going above and beyond, staff organized calls to every tenant on the floor and others who may have been in contact to conduct wellness checks and offer support. One staff member came in on her vacation day to make these calls, and other Housing staff worked late into Friday evening to complete these. All the seniors we connected with on these calls are safe and well. Our teams will continue to reach out to those they were not able to connect with.
Our staff recognized that news of cases of COVID-19 among neighbours was being shared on Friday (Jan. 22) and that tenants and residents may have questions over the weekend. To ensure staff are available for those questions, we created hotlines in English, Mandarin /Cantonese, and Korean. Our Care Managers were quick to step up and offer their support over the weekend to answer those calls and ensure that any seniors who need it have access to supports. One of our transportation drivers also came forward to offer his time on the weekend to drive seniors to a testing site, if needed.
Our property management team and janitorial staff also sprung into action very quickly. Upon hearing of COVID-19 in the building, they immediately worked to disinfect common spaces and conduct deep cleaning. This is in addition to their already ramped up cleaning schedule.
Our commitment
Our teams will continue to work diligently and with compassion to support our seniors. We will continue to communicate as often as we can so that our community is aware of what is happening and has access to supports to help keep seniors safe.
We know that some people in our buildings may be hesitant for various reasons to share that they have COVID-19, but if you let us know, we can offer support and help. It also helps us to know where to direct our efforts to help ensure the safety and well-being of the entire community.
For more information about programs and support that is available, please contact 416-493-3333.
