Dear Bethany Families,

As a follow up to our letter dated March 18, 2020, we are following the directive of Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and Alberta Health, and we would like to inform you of extra precautions that Bethany Care Society (BCS) is taking over and above the current guidelines for the general public in Alberta at this time. We do not take these decisions lightly, however our resident safety is our number one priority and residents are at higher risk of serious illness from exposure to COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses.

ENTRY RESTRICTIONS AT OUR SITES EFFECTIVE MARCH 23, 2020 AND UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE:

Bethany is restricting access to ALL visitors at this time, including families, care givers and volunteers.

The ONLY exception will be for one visitor if there is imminent end of life. We will be continuing to screen these visitors as well as take a temperature check before entry is permitted.

Again, we realize that these are drastic actions, and these decisions have been taken in consultation with our public health bodies and other continuing care providers. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation to help us all keep as healthy and safe as possible during this difficult time.

We encourage using alternative methods of communication to stay in contact with your loved ones, such as telephone, FaceTime or Skype. We will be doing everything possible we can to accommodate this from a technology perspective.

We understand that these directives and precautions have difficult implications for all of you. We will continue to make our best efforts to support enhancing the quality of life for our residents and your loved ones, while also supporting these necessary and heightened measures for infection prevention and control at this time.

As ever, should you have any questions or concerns, please continue to contact your Site Administrator, or Care Service Manager. We have also updated our website bethanyseniors.com to provide the very latest information.

Yours sincerely,

Nancy Hughes. Vice President and COO, Bethany Care Society
cc: Jennifer McCue, President and CEO, Bethany Care Society