The Western Australian Government has put in place a number of enforceable restrictions for entering aged care homes, including a restriction which limits residents to one visit per day with up to two people present.
To minimise the impact of this and to ensure it is adhered to, MercyCare has extended Mother’s Day celebrations across four days.
“We encourage families to work together to plan visits over these four days to ensure mothers have the opportunity to connect with as many of their loved ones as possible,” MercyCare Aged Care Executive Director Joanne Penman said.
“We understand how incredibly important Mother’s Day is and we want to work with families to make this year’s celebrations are a special time for all mothers in our care.”
Phone and video calls are also available for those who can’t celebrate the day in person.
Each MercyCare Aged Care home will be very busy over the four-day Mother’s Day celebrations to try and accommodate as many visits as possible. Families are being encouraged to book early and be patient with the team so they can help families enjoy this special time with their Mum.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has released recommendations for residential aged care facilities regarding external excursions for residents. AHPPC state “No external excursions for residents should currently be permitted”.
Based on this recommendation and the guidelines from the WA Department of Health, MercyCare is currently unable to endorse residents leaving the home except for essential medical appointments.
As COVID-19 infection rates remain low in Western Australia, MercyCare started reopening its Aged Care homes to visitors from the week starting May 27 with strict screening and infection control procedures in place to keep residents safe.
“As we welcome visitors back to our homes, it has been heart-warming to watch families reconnect in person. This is only possible because the Western Australian community has done such an outstanding job of slowing the spread of this virus,” Mrs Penman said.
Families can contact Service Managers should you have any concerns or queries.
