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Care Opinion

Regulation of visiting rights

Posted By foxtrotek35

"Regulation of visiting rights"

About: Denmark Multi Purpose Service (Aged Care)

(as a friend),

While I, as a guardian for my friend in Blue Wren Lodge, have absolutely no concerns for the quality of their care and their general situation, I am increasingly unhappy with the visiting restrictions being imposed.

I am well aware of the difficulties containing the Pandemic in other states, and I am totally grateful and impressed with the response to preventing an outbreak in WA, however, as other aged care facilities throughout the Southwest have relaxed restrictions, I question the rationale of tight restrictions in the Denmark facility.

When compared with the rest of the world, I believe we in Denmark have much to be grateful for, but then, giving up one's right to get a haircut, go for a coffee, meet with old friends in circumstances other than one's room in an aged care facility, in my opinion, are not rights that should be relinquished without good reason.

For this reason, please inform me of why these restrictions remain in Denmark, despite the low risk of COVID-19 community transmission in WA (especially on the South coast)?

I look forward to your response.

Kind regards.

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Responses

Response from Julie Hollingworth, Director of Nursing/Health Service Manager, Denmark and Plantagenet Health Services, WACHS GS 3 years ago
We have made a change
Julie Hollingworth
Director of Nursing/Health Service Manager, Denmark and Plantagenet Health Services,
WACHS GS

Submitted on 9/09/2020 at 2:32 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 3:21 PM

Dear foxtrotek35

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your story with us. We value feedback from our community as it offers opportunities to improve our service or celebrate the things we are doing well.

We are intensely aware of the impact the current visitor restrictions have on our Residents and their families and carers. In caring for our Residents’ physical and mental wellbeing there is a fine balance between maintaining dignity and quality of life and ensuring a safe environment.

These restrictions are a result of the Directions (Number 3) from the Department of Health which addresses visitors to aged care facilities and aims to prevent the introduction and limit the spread of COVID-19 in these facilities. These Directions apply to all aged care facilities in WA. In addition, the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has additional guidelines for residential aged care facilities. In summary, the combined effect of these policy documents is to limit the number of visitors and the frequency of visits to our Residents as well as limiting our Residents’ external activities to medical or related activities.

WA is still under a declared State of Emergency (Public Health) therefore the policies mentioned above are mandatory at this point in time. You can find information about the WA State of Emergency here. The State of Emergency is due for review on September 17. If the State of Emergency is lifted then some of these restrictions may also be lifted.

We realise the impact these restrictions have and we are, therefore, continually working with Residents and their families to identify innovative ways of ensuring meaningful social support and interaction for all. Please contact our Aged Care Clinical Nurse, Shirlie, on 9848 0600 so that we can do our best to meet your needs within the confines of the policies we have mentioned above.

With best wishes,

Julie Hollingworth

Denmark Health Service

Director of Nursing/Health Service Manager

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