Millhaven Lodge in Pakenham, Victoria | Nursing home

Millhaven Lodge

Locality: Pakenham, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5943 3000

Address: 54-64 Princes Hwy 3810 Pakenham, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.millhavenlodge.org.au

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• Retirement and care home
• Nursing home
• Residence

25.01.2022 23rd September, 2020 Dear Families, We are pleased to see the number of COVID infections are falling and this week was the first week since June where the number of active cases was less than the number of new cases. That means that many cases have been resolved and the Dept of Health can now confidently track the small number of new cases. However there are still 328 active cases in Victoria related to Aged Care (a drop from the high of 2075 in August), which can be staff..., residents and close contacts. So we have a little way to go yet, to be back at normal, whatever that might look like. Aged Care involves a large group of people and of course it is hard to socially distance when you are attending to someone’s hygiene needs. For this reason, we still have many precautions in place and a lot of signage around the place, with reminders to wash hands etc. I think this will be with us everywhere we go for the foreseeable future. For those who like stats, there have only been 28 deaths in Australia so far from Flu as opposed to 837 last year and over 1000 in 2018. If you are bringing in food to a resident, please bring to Reception and we will log it in the Food Register there. We are starting to think about how we will manage Christmas. It looks like a big concert will not be possible, but we are considering how we can still make the season festive for the residents and families (there may be a DVD). Thank you for your support in regard to limited visiting and we will see what the Premier says on Sunday, and again in October to see what can be done in relation to restrictions and curfew. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

24.01.2022 9th December, 2020. Dear families,... I am aware everyone is anxious about Christmas Day and beyond so there is a little information I can give you regarding this. We will be doing a general Christmas lunch with Santa and elves visiting residents on Tuesday 22nd December over lunch time. On Christmas Day you can take your resident out at any time by appointment. Please let admin know by 18th December if you intend to take your relative out. Unfortunately we cannot offer Christmas Dinner to relatives this year due to COVID-19 spacing requirements but you can still visit during the day by appointment. You can visit and bring food in as long as it is consumed in the resident’s room and listed in the food register. We cannot provide common rooms for meals this year due to COVID-19 space rules. (there are still spacing requirements in the rooms of two people at a time, so if there are a number of people to visit, the visits may need to be staggered.) Other activities such as seeing the Christmas lights will be going ahead in a socially spaced manner. The activity staff will provide a newsletter with some of the activities the residents will be doing. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and Happy New year and a safe and COVID free 2021. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

22.01.2022 11th July 2020 Dear Families, There are still no cases in Cardinia Shire at the moment and that is the only good news I am afraid. As the numbers in the community of COVID are still rising, even though they are not near here, there are 17 cases in Casey, and more people in hospital now from areas away from here. As the public have been advised to wear masks in crowded areas, my advice is to not go to places where you cannot social distance if possible, or if you must, cove...r your face with a scarf or other washable covering. Masks themselves can lull you into a false sense of security and do no cover the eyes where the virus can also enter, the safest way is to stay away from crowds and people you don’t know. I am hoping I don’t need to stop visiting but that is not our direction from the health department at the moment. Please avoid taking your relative to appointments etc if it can wait a few months. I will keep you posted on any news as I watch read all the documents from the health department. Keep your chin up, you are all helping us and don’t go shopping for non essentials if you can avoid it. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

22.01.2022 29th October, 2020 Dear Families, The last report I read said that there were now no active cases of COVID-19 in aged care. That is a great relief to residents and families alike! Given that we are starting to open up, we would like to keep it that way, and we also have been given information as of yesterday afternoon from the Health Department on updated visitor guidelines. As you are aware the 25 km rule still stands but we can accept people from regional Victoria if the...y are only visiting here and going straight back. We hoped that 2 visitors at a time would be allowed, but this is not the case at this stage, so we will try to fit more visitors throughout the day at the café area so those who wish to have an extra visit may be squeezed in. Each resident should not have more than one visitor per day. Visitors need to wear surgical masks (not cloth ones) including children over 12. We can permit babes in arms (or prams) to come with their parent for a visit, so they can be seen by their (great) grandparent. The health department is encouraging all facilities to get their staff asymptomatic testing but this has not occurred as yet for us. Outings with families are not recommended yet as they may come in contact with unknown people in the community, but we will start bus trip scenic drives from next week. All residents and the driver will wear a mask and we will just take from one area at a time. With nice weather coming, I encourage where possible you to take your resident outside in the courtyard or just outside the building to get some fresh air and sunshine, but not to public places just yet. We will still use patient transport for medical appointments where practical, but where not possible or where very local, a family member may take their relative. I hope everyone enjoyed getting out yesterday and that we are heading towards normal again. All of us at Millhaven are thrilled with the level of support and cooperation we have received from you the families of our residents. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

22.01.2022 Congratulations to all who participated in the Pakenham Show. You all did an amazing job.

19.01.2022 14th July, 2020 Dear Families, Although I only wrote to you yesterday, things are moving very quickly re COVID-19 in this State. I received advice from the Health Department that they recommend the wearing of masks by those workers who have close contact with the residents and also by any visitors to the premises. (Close contact is anyone who is giving personal care and cannot distance at least 1.5 metres.) ... We will supply masks for you for this week but we hope that you will be able to source your own for the future as we have to make sure we have plenty for the staff for the next few weeks. I am buying washable masks and will distribute them to the staff to avoid using so much disposable product and will have them for sale at cost to you soon if you want. Disposable masks are available in Chemist Warehouse, Reject Shop and online of course. Remember not to touch your face while using a mask as this reduces its effectiveness. The masks only stop the breath, droplets and mist from the mouth and nose, but it is, of course still important to wash sanitise hands on entry and exit. We still need to try to keep our distance even with a visit. I am afraid, only air kisses and hugs at this stage. Also advice was given to reduce visitors where we can, and I appeal to you to only visit when necessary to deliver goods or on special occasions. Hopefully this will only be a few weeks more and this horrible time may be on the improve. I believe doctors are starting trials of a vaccine in Adelaide now and fingers crossed, it works and we can start to vaccinate people soon. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

19.01.2022 5th October, 2020 Dear Families, Overnight there were 9 new cases of COVID-19 and more significantly no deaths. There were no deaths previously on15th September and before that it was the 13th July. There are still people 31 in hospital and there were 31 last on the 6th July. However, there are still 241 active cases of which aged care make up 110. We wish all those people a speedy recovery. We have been visited by the Aged Care Quality Agency and the Infection Control Respo...nse team of the Health Department last week and they recommended more social distancing measures and more signage around the place which we have put in place. They are recommending we continue with our limited visiting for now as the children are going back to school and some businesses are starting again. We will review the visitors’ rules after the 19th October when the premier makes a new announcement. We hope we can have socially distanced bus trips soon around the local area, (perhaps even an ice cream.) Overall the staff and residents are coping well with the strange new world we are in and some positives have surfaced, e.g better engagement in activities. The good things are the reduced numbers and deaths and the weather is getting better so we will soon be able to spend a little time outside, but I think masks will be with us for a while yet. We will get there, hopefully having an Australia wide bubble by Christmas where we can actually hug our loved ones. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

18.01.2022 Professions Day at Millhaven,(some more professional than others)

18.01.2022 To err is human, to aargh! is pirate .

18.01.2022 27th July, 2020 Dear Families, This is the first day of no visitors and we thank you for cooperating with us with that. As you can see, the numbers are scary at the moment (over 520 new cases, a lot in aged care). We have heard this morning that a neighbouring facility has had a case over the weekend (staff member) and so we have checked any possible cross over of staff still remaining and only one staff member has worked there recently and has tested negative to COVID. The ...management at the other facility have been forthcoming in advising us on the process the department has taken in checking everyone and providing support to the facility. We are constantly looking at ways to increase our insurance against the virus but we will have to deal with it , if it occurs. Be assured I will continue to keep you all in the loop of what is happening in the world around us. At the moment all the residents and staff of Millhaven Lodge are all well and hope you all are fit and healthy also. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

18.01.2022 Footy day at Millhaven , not in September but still fun

17.01.2022 Hope everyone had a happy Easter from all at Millhaven Lodge. Residents had some Easter fun with the Easter bunny on Thursday the 1st of April.

17.01.2022 6th May, 2021 Dear Families, It has been a few weeks since I wrote to you, and want to let you know any news we have received regarding COVID vaccinations etc. ... I am sure you are aware of the hubs for the over 50s that now exist and staff who are in aged care are also having access to the vaccine. The vaccine providers came yesterday and gave the second dose to the resident who missed out on the 13th April but we have not been told about those who missed out the first dose as well, as yet. If you wish to take your resident out for this now, it is now advisable as we believe they will not return for the foreseeable future for new residents and those who missed out. As you are aware, we are required to use the QR code for visitors, and we still like to have our sign in book for fire and emergencies. Visiting is the same, by signing in and taking your temperature. As there is a mystery case in Sydney now, we ask that you do not visit at the moment if you have been in Sydney in the last two weeks and get yourself tested to be safe. In the meantime please see some photos of the new building soon as well, which is nearly finished. Have a lovely Mother’s Day everyone! (Mothers and others) Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

17.01.2022 Crazy hair day 26.8.2020 ( Maybe will stop us going crazy, maybe not )

16.01.2022 20th July, 2020 Dear Families, I am afraid that the COVID numbers are not very encouraging at the moment and the new rules coming into effect want visits to stop until the spread can be controlled in Aged Care facilities. I have asked staff working across two sites to limit it to just one site as this may contribute to the spread in otherwise healthy individuals. The numbers across Casey in particular are rising and therefore it is painful but I need to ask you not to visi...t for the next two weeks until we see which way the numbers go. I am sure you are all doing the right thing but the less people coming into contact with the residents the better at this stage. If your relative is in palliative care, you may discuss special arrangements to see your loved one. I am thinking with the mandatory mask in public rule, it will take at least two weeks for the numbers to reduce. I can only hope we are spared the virus in Millhaven, but we are prepared should we get a case. All staff are now wearing masks when dealing with the residents as you cannot distance yourself when you are working closely with them. The residents are not being asked to do this at this time. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

16.01.2022 22nd January, 2021 Dear families, In light of the continued negative community acquired COVID, I can let you know the most recent visitors arrangements for Millhaven Lodge, hoping it may continue in this way now we have hit 2021. From Monday 25th January:... No appointments necessary during the week but visiting still between 0900 and 1700 Up to two people at a time can visit once per day ( children also welcome with parental supervision) You can take your family member out for coffee or shopping etc or to your home with others present provided we know who will be present. (an outing declaration will need to be signed every time you take them out.) Weekend appointments can be made if you cannot visit during the week by appointment, but bear in mind you still need to sign in and have staff take your temperature before you visit. Please do not enter the building without staff knowing you are there. ( for tracking ) You can take your resident to medical appointments or by patient transport. ( taxis and Ubers are discouraged as they may have had unknown patrons) Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

15.01.2022 13th November, 2020 Dear families, Although it is Friday the 13th, it is a great day for Victoria with 14 days of no new COVID infections and only 3 current cases in the whole of Victoria. Well done to you all who have helped us to get to this stage. This situation is fragile of course and we ask that every visitor makes sure that no one visits who is sick at all.... We do have unfortunately a few residents in Abrehart with colds (not COVID) . They have been tested and they have rhinovirus which is the common cold virus. We are trying to isolate them as much as we can but we will need to stop visitors for a few days to that area until they are better to stop that spreading. We are happy to let you know that other than Abrehart people for the next few days, from next Monday you (one relative) can take your resident out for up to two hours and can go to parks, cafes and shops if you like as long as you let us know where you have been on your return and that of course you follow the social distancing rules. Next week we look at the possibility of longer room visits and home visits. Home visits are more of a risk due to lack of masks etc, but if the numbers stay low, this will be possible. I am currently on leave but still have access to emails if there are any questions. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

15.01.2022 Welcome from Spoonhaven. Please feel free to do a drive by and add your own spoon to the population. We will get a sign made from the men's Shed but it is located at the front door and there is no rule forbidding spoons congregating in groups outside at the moment.

14.01.2022 12th February, 2021 Dear families, I am disappointed to note that there is a 5 day lockdown until next Wednesday. We have been informed by the health department that visitors are not permitted during this time but hopefully everything may be back to (COVID) normal next week. I will be watching the news and will pass on any other restrictions. This English strain is even worse than the previous one, so I hope you will stay safe, stay home, avoid shops and we will look afte...r your loved ones. We are very sorry for this news. We will have to stop taxi transport for appointments also for this week. I hope nobody was planning a romantic restaurant for Valentine’s Day or wedding this weekend. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

14.01.2022 8th February, 2021 Dear families, Please see the extra exposure sites (that I doubt anyone here has been to as they are a fair way from here) that you should get tested and or isolate and not visit. I will add any more the department adds in the upcoming days.... Maidstone Marciano's Cakes 126 Mitchell St Maidstone VIC 3012 09:45-10:25 5/2/2021 Case attended venue Sunshine Dan Murphy's 47 McIntyre Rd Sunshine VIC 3020 18:50-19:30 6/2/2021 Case attended venue Taylors Lakes Off Ya Tree Watergardens 399 Melton Highway Taylors Lakes VIC 3038 13:17-13:52 6/2/2021 Case attended venue Anyone who has visited these exposure sites during these times must immediately isolate, get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test, and remain Isolated for 14 days. If you have been at an exposure site, isolate and get tested. Please let us know in this case. If you have symptoms, isolate and get tested and do not visit until the all clear is given. Again, let’s hope they can figure this out and there will not be any more restrictions needed Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

14.01.2022 Don't worry, we are not all going crazy, it's just our socks on crazy sock day.

14.01.2022 31st December, 2020. Dear families, I had hoped I would not have to contact you again so soon unless it was to simply wish you Happy New Year, however due to new community cases in Melbourne I would like to give you some advice. If you have visited fountain gate shopping centre on or after 26th December, or visited any of the below shops, please get tested for COVID-19 before you visit again as we are not sure of the extent of the spread. Also try to avoid Fountain Gate ...from now on until we are sure it is clear. High-risk sites: Mentone/Parkdale Beach on 27 December Century City Walk and Mocha Jo’s, Glen Waverley on 28 December Katialo restaurant, Eaton Mall, Oakleigh on 28 December. Also : Fountain Gate Shopping Centre shops including Kmart, Big W, Target, Millers, King of Gifts, Lacoste on 26 December Holy Family Parish Doveton Catholic on 26 December If you have been in any of those sites on or after that date, you should get tested. I am hoping this is just a minor clitch that we can jump on quickly. Happy New Year in any case and please be safe. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

13.01.2022 13th April, 2021 Dear Families, I am happy to say that the second of our COVID vaccines was given today and all went very well. The vaccine arrived early and all were done by lunch time. We are still hopeful that all our staff will be able to be vaccinated soon. There is no change to the visiting process of signing in and temperature checks (unless we get some issue with community transfer). ... Residents will need to wait two weeks before they can have their flu shot We are not sure what will happen with new residents and those who missed out, but I will let you know if we get any news. Thank you all for your cooperation in this matter and we hope for a safer 2021. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

13.01.2022 19th February, 2021 Dear families, Please note that we have extended the no visiting policy (except for palliative care) until 25th February as this completes the 14 day quarantine period from the community cases of COVID linked to hotel quarantine. There were three cases today that returned positive results that were not evident on day 5 when the lockdown ceased. These people are isolating so hopefully there will not be any more. We look forward to seeing you again from ne...xt Thursday 25th and it will be only one household per day (i.e. partner, sibling and or child but not from different households until further advice is given). Appointments not needed for Monday to Friday but if you cannot visit then, appointments will be needed to be made on Weekends. Outings can commence soon as well. Have a lovely weekend. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

13.01.2022 10th September, 2020 Dear Families, Today is RUOK day and I am hoping that everyone is ok and that you all have someone to talk to during this lonely time. Please call anytime if you want to speak to your relative and we will make it happen. ... The numbers are moving in the right direction, and there will be some easing of restrictions in the coming few weeks. I am aware hospitals are not allowing visitors yet, but we want to start allowing a few in from next Monday. To start with, we request partners, or a parent or child who lives alone to ring to make an appointment in the café if they would like, as long as you are within 5 kms of here. We will ask you to wear a mask and we will provide you with a gown to wear. As we can only have one at a time, there are only limited spots, similar to when we started it in the café at the beginning of the pandemic. The visits will need to be short and the same criteria needs to be adhered to. We will gradually extend this as the law permits. Please continue with the skype calls in the meantime and we hope that we can loosen the rules week by week if the numbers are better. For others, we are hoping to do a drive by visit soon where you and your family can come and visit by staying in your car and we will bring the residents outside to see you in the next few weeks, but we have to obey the rules so this needs to be thought out properly. I hope we can all get together soon, at least for Christmas. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

12.01.2022 31st July, 2020 Dear Families, There is not much good news at the moment I am afraid. The numbers are still very high and as you are all aware the numbers of cases in aged care are not improving.... We have been advised now to wear face shields as well as masks and as we have some supply of these, we are giving them out to the PCAS who do hands on care first and the RNs who patrol the whole building. The government are supposed to be supplying them to us but we are not sure when this will happen. ( the masks protect the resident, and face shields protect the staff member in simple terms.) We are limiting the cross over of staff inside the facility as best we can as this disease is insidious as you can feel well and still be brewing it. We are in communication with the facility that has a positive case to see how they are managing with it and none of our staff are working there currently. We are spreading the residents out more now ( social distancing) during meals and activities, but life for them (except for having visitors) continues as normal as can be while we can. We don’t want to isolate them unless we have and that will only be in case of an outbreak or unless directed to by the health department. In regard to visitors, we will look at things again in another week but I feel that it is safer to leave opening it up again until the health department thinks the community transmission is acceptable. In a the meantime, it would be good if you make a diary of your movements for tracking purposes in case the Dept ofhealth needs to check your contacts. We will continue to liaise with you on regular health matters as normal in the meantime. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

12.01.2022 14th December, 2020. Dear families, In addition to the Christmas arrangements there are a few COVID normal arrangements which will apply going into the foreseeable future. ... Appointments will not be necessary for business hours visits. ( Monday to Friday 0900 -1700) . You can sign yourself in at the desk at reception. You will need to sanitise your hands and during the week the admin staff will take your temperature. We ask you to liaise with your family so there are not too many people coming at once to see your relative Appointments can be made for weekend visits only if you cannot visit during the week. A declaration needs to be signed before the first visit. Admin can arrange to send it to you. Care staff will take your temperature on entry at your resident’s area. Entry is by the front door on the general code you have used before or by using the intercom if you don’t know the code. Again we remind you not to visit if anyone in your household is sick Please note window visits cannot be allowed (and not necessary) as there is no tracking available for these visits. Masks are still required in the car and wherever required on outside visits. Visitor parking is designated at the front of the building and will be line marked when we have time. This will continue into the next year as we have designated the back carpark for staff. Entry to all areas including Ahern House will be also through the front door. Special consideration will be for disabled visitors only. ( i.e. the undercroft carpark) Just a reminder that we have COVID-19 cases coming back from overseas and no vaccine as yet, so we are not still out of the woods and our thoughts are with the rest of the world where people continue to die every day from this virus. We are truly the lucky country despite everything that happened this year. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

11.01.2022 15th February, 2021 Dear families, Please note that The Alfred, Broadmeadows and Northern hospitals, Broadmeadows Central shopping centre, the Queen Victoria Market and tram lines (around Melbourne) have been added as extra exposure sites. ... If you have been in these sites over the last week, please get tested and stay safe. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

11.01.2022 2nd December, 2020. Dear families, I am very pleased to announce that restrictions have been lifted quite a bit by the Department of health due the ongoing Zero numbers of COVID in the community. There are a lot of COVID safe rules we still have to adhere to ongoing until we have access to an effective vaccine. Please read the guidelines below which is the information we have given to staff. ... Residents can have a maximum of 2 visitors in their room with NO time limit ( unless visitors overlap) Children can visit with parental supervision and children over 12 will be required to wear a mask. Residents can go out with their family with NO time limits. We will just need to know where the resident has been for tracking purposes. Outings and visits will be done by appointment. The reception will take the appointment and ask them to complete the declaration. During the weekday all visits will be booked through reception for between 0900-1630. For families who can’t visit the resident during the weekday, they can make a weekend appointment. Please try to avoid if possible for now) For the weekend appointment, admin staff will email the declaration form to the family member for them to sign and return prior to their appointment. Care staff to check the temp of the visitor on the day of the appointment and record it next to the sign-in sheet. All visitors are still required to wear a mask. Visitors are asked to ONLY visit the resident you are here to see. Please do not visit multiple residents. All visitors are still encouraged to use the main entrance. Visitors will be asked to remain in the resident's room or allocated visiting area such as the Green Room during their visit. Social distancing rule still applies as it does outside. This is a lot to take in but it will mean a significant relaxing of restrictions. Next week I will have some information on Christmas visits and Christmas Day. (which is only a few weeks away.) Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

10.01.2022 This week our residents and staff have been celebrating the beginning of spring. We had sportsperson dress up day, as well as doing some spring crafts and creating spoon characters for our community Spoonhaven. If anyone would like to contribute a decorated spoon to Spoonhaven, you are most welcome to do so.

10.01.2022 6th November, 2020 Dear Families, Some more great news is that there are no cases in aged care in Victoria at the moment. We are all waiting for the Premier’s announcements on Sunday that regional Victoria will open up, but in the meantime we have made a few adjustments to visiting which will apply from Monday. We will be opening up a spot in Ahern House next week in the Green Room for visitors for that area, which will make room in the café for a few more visits. (One vis...itor at a time). Also, we are happy if one visitor takes a resident out on a nice day to an outside area, provided you wear masks in the car as you cannot social distance. This means you could have a coffee or go to a park but sit outside. Please limit outings to an hour to start with and hopefully we will extend in another week or so. If you need to visit in Abrehart, you can do that in the room wearing a mask and a shield, and visiting in the rooms of other areas can also be done for those with relevant medical conditions or if the resident is having palliative care as before. No gowns are needed. However, the rules still apply: 1. please don’t visit if you are sick at all 2. Please make bookings for visits or outings 3. Please do not take your resident home at this stage One other important request: Please keep a diary of your movements and visits in general so that we can trace any issues if needed. We will list outings and where you go on the visitors’ forms, but now that we have opened up a bit, we would like to be able to trace back if we happen to get any cases in the future. I have asked the same of the staff as it is hard to remember where we were at any given day (now that we can go out a bit) and that information may be very helpful. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

09.01.2022 29th December, 2020. Dear families, I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas despite the difficult year we have had. We are in a better position than NSW at the moment, and have more freedoms but we need to guard against the virus spreading to Victoria. There is not much difference from the restrictions of last week and we still advise you not to visit Greater Sydney or the Central NSW Coast at all at the moment and if you have been in NSW for business or other reasons, p...lease avoid visiting until you are COVID negative. This is the official advice from the Department of Health and Human Services for your information: Further to the advice provided on Sunday 20 December 2020, please see below for a clarification of screening requirements for visitors and staff. Residential aged care facilities must ensure that all current screening processes include the ability to screen for visitors and healthcare workers (staff) who have lived in or visited the Greater Sydney, Central Coast or Northern Beaches areas since 11 December 2020. The following definitions apply: o If they arrived in Victoria on or after 21 December 2020 and have visited the Greater Sydney, Central Coast or Northern Beaches areas since 11 December 2020 test immediately and isolate for 14 days from exposure. o If they arrived in Victoria before 21 December 2020 and have visited the Northern Beaches or any identified exposure sites since 11 December 2020 test immediately and isolate for 14 days from exposure. o If they arrived before 21 December 2020 and have visited the Greater Sydney or Central Coast area since 11 December 2020 must provide evidence of a negative test result since arriving in Victoria. If Residential aged care facilities identify any visitors or staff who meet the above definitions, please contact the department on 1300 651 160. You can ring us at Millhaven Lodge if you are unsure where you fit into this criteria. Each day though we inch closer and closer to a vaccine and the latest news is that the vaccine we have is nearly 100% effective to prevent severe disease. I wish you a Happy and safe 2021. Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

08.01.2022 Looking for an EN fulltime. If interested please ring Linda on 59433000.

07.01.2022 Residents and staff enjoying pyjama day

06.01.2022 For those interested, here are a few pictures of the building works in progress. (The extension to Abrehart House .)

06.01.2022 Tomorrow I will write COVID post, but today I would like to share a few self care ideas you might like. Self Care Below are 15 Tiny Self Care Ideas for the Mind. These were taken from an article by Ellen Barb on the tiny buddha website. ... 1. Start a compliments file. Document the great things people say about you to read later. 2. Scratch off something on your to-do list, something that’s been there for ages and you’ll never do. 3. Change up the way you make decisions. Decide something with your heart if you usually use your head. Or if you tend to go with your heart, decide with your head. 4. Go cloud-watching. Lie on your back, relax, and watch the sky. 5. Take another route to work. Mixing up your routine in small ways creates new neural pathways in the brain to keep it healthy. 6. Pay complete attention to something you usually do on autopilot, perhaps brushing your teeth, driving, eating, or performing your morning routine. 7. Goof around for a bit. Schedule in five minutes of play (non-directed activity) several times throughout your day. 8. Create a deliberate habit, and routinize something small in your life by doing it in the same way each daywhat you wear on Tuesdays, or picking up the dental floss before you brush. 9. Fix a small annoyance at home that’s been nagging youa button lost, a drawer that’s stuck, a light bulb that’s gone. 10. Punctuate your day with a mini-meditation with one minute of awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations; one minute of focused attention on breathing; and one minute of awareness of the body as a whole. 11. Be indulgent. Do one thing today just because it makes you happy. 12. Do a mini-declutter. Recycle three things from your wardrobe that you don’t love or regularly wear. 13. Unplug for an hour. Switch everything to airplane mode and free yourself from the constant binds of social media and email. 14. Get out of your comfort zone, even if it’s just talking to a stranger at the bus stop. 15. Edit your social media feeds, and take out any negative people. You can just mute them; you don’t have to delete them. Have a lovely day everyone.

05.01.2022 14th August, 2020 Dear Families, Our second week of lockdown and the numbers are up and down in the community but I think there is a glimmer of hope that the numbers have plateaued . I am pleased that a few of our residents have utilised the new phones we have and we are still increasing our facetime visits with the activities staff. ... We had a bit of fun with superheroes day this week and the staff intend to do a theme day each Wednesday until this is over. (watch out for pyjama day next week. We will get more residents involved and will be happy to send photos of the days we are planning. The sad fact is that there are 2034 active infections in aged care in Victoria at the moment out of the total 7,842 cases. These are numbers but of course to us they are our family and grandmas and grandpas. The health department finally delivered our stocks of masks and face shields we ordered ( 18 cartons of them) more than a month ago, but fortunately we had bought plenty of stock in advance so if we don’t use them, they will be handy for the future as they do not expire. As about one fifth of cases are hard to track, I remind everyone to keep a diary of your movements each day and so that if necessary it can be traced back to the shops or wherever you may have been. Also we can’t soldier on any more if we get a slight cold, we need to be tested and traced. There is one element of aged care that has changed in that if you want to take your resident out for an extended period, you can if you think it is safer for them and you can look after them without losing your place ( not that we think this is practical in many instances) but the provision is there. Keep safe and have a good weekend. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

05.01.2022 7th August, 2020 Dear Families, Our first week in the new lockdown situation and I think you will agree the news has been very sad for the aged care sector. As you are aware there is now a curfew in place between 8pm to 5am. The only reason to leave home during these times will be work, medical care and caregiving.... We have been given new instructions re visitors from the Department of Health which is stricter than before. We have been asked to conduct visits by electronic means if possible as everyone is supposed to be staying home except for work and food shopping for the next 6 weeks. The Activities staff are going to be doing more skype and face to face sessions and Sarah Findlay is now going to be available on Sundays as well as during the week for a few hours to help residents with this. I have purchased a few big button phones for landlines which can have pictures of people on them to help the residents dial who they want. If interested in these, I have a few landlines available. We have stopped the crossover of staff where possible in the hope this may stop the virus being brought in by staff, but as you are aware, they all have families and we have encouraged them to let us know if anyone in their family has been in contact with any positive case so we can get them to self- isolate. I recommend that you keep a diary of where you have been each day should tracking be necessary. In a couple of weeks, I believe spouses, adult children and siblings may be allowed in again. If any resident’s mental health is at risk, we will work something out, but for now, I advise that only residents at end of life should have face to face visits until we get more advice from the Health Department. I know this is hard on everyone but our residents seem quite happy at the moment. Gifts are still welcome and we will arrange to pick them up at the front door. Thank you for all your lovely thoughts and good wishes. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

04.01.2022 A bit of fun on Superheroes Day.

04.01.2022 23rd July, 2020 Dear Families, This is the first day of mask wearing for the general public, and as I had to go out today for work purposes, I was pleased to see that all the people were wearing masks of various types. We have a supply of stretchy masks at reception if you want to buy them at cost for $5. ... If you would like us to source more colourful types as not all fit as well as others in place of the paper ones that are one use only, let admin know and I can source. I myself have my footy team and they are quite comfy. We have had a few residents with chest infections or colds and they have all returned a negative COVID swab now, so that is good. We still have a lot of the flu season to go through, but hope our precautions and masks will help prevent an outbreak. I believe this is probably a first wave of COVID rather than a second one as I think we were lucky at first to avoid the issues of other countries to start with. With fines for non-compliance, the cases of people going from testing to partying should reduce as the general public finally get that they need to stay home. The weather is set to be quite miserable for the next week, so keep warm and thank you for not visiting your family member for the next two weeks. You can still come into deliver parcels or buy masks if you wish. Special considerations will be given for those near end of life in consultation with me. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

03.01.2022 3rd September, 2020 Dear Families, This week has seen a few better numbers of new COVID cases, even below a hundred a day, but we still have a long way to go, and I believe this weekend the lockdown will be extended for a few more weeks. As there are still over 2,500 current cases in Victoria, I think this is the critical time to keep up the good work we have all done so far. I hope the whispers of a protest in the city do not go ahead, but I understand everyone’s frustrati...on. I believe another Pakenham facility has a case of COVID, however we do not have any cross over staff there now. We are looking forward to face to face visits again, and we will probably begin by asking visitors to wear gown and mask, and limit to one visitor in the café at a time. I believe Sarah is doing a good job with the Skype visits and has a lot of bookings for Fathers’ Day on Sunday. We will wait to see what the Premier says on Sunday as to whether there will be any changes for us, however, we now have to report any resident or staff member who is sick in any respiratory way (ie. cold or chest infection) and these people are being COVID tested and isolated until we get the results. Obviously if we get a positive result we need to report again and isolate everyone. So far 62 staff have been tested for reasons ranging from having a cold, to an outbreak where a close contact works, or working elsewhere etc., and we test about 3 residents per week for reasons like they have symptoms or they have been in hospital. We also have had two residents have a holiday at home with family which is lovely for them. Thanks for your support and understanding and let’s hope we get through this all soon. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

03.01.2022 18th December, 2020. Dear families, Just a quick update on the COVID-19 issues in NSW ... The ABC just reported that: Victoria will effectively close its border to Sydney's Northern Beaches residents or people who have been exposed to high-risk sites in New South Wales from midnight tonight. People from the "green zone" regional New South Wales will be allowed to enter and asked to watch for symptoms. Those from "orange zone" areas Greater Sydney are encouraged to get tested on arrival in Victoria and quarantine until they get a negative result. But people from "red zone" areas, which currently includes the Northern Beaches local government area and other NSW exposure sites, will not be permitted to enter. Anyone from a red zone who arrives in Victoria from midnight tonight will need to complete 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine. * VERY IMPORTANT: Victorians have also been strongly advised not to travel to Sydney. Conditions are expected to deteriorate and you may not be able to re-enter Victoria without undertaking quarantining for 14 days * VERY IMPORTANT: Millhaven Lodge is asking all visitors over the next week to get tested and have a negative COVID test before they visit if they have been to Sydney or its surrounds in the last week or over the next two weeks. (the tests don’t hurt and the results come back within about 48 hours) . This is not good news but shows how fragile our COVID-19 status can be. If there is any more news I will let you know. Keep safe! Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer

02.01.2022 4th February , 2021 Dear families, We have had a period of good news so far this year, but we have reached a bit of a hiccup in terms of a quarantine issue that you are no doubt aware of. Hopefully they will get on top of it quickly. In the meantime, please check these exposure sites and do not visit them or get checked if you have been there;... Saturday 30th January 2021 Club Noble in Noble Park 46-56 Moodemere St Noble Park VIC 3174 14:36 - 15:30 Aces Sporting Club (Driving Range) Cnr Springvale Rd and Hutton Rd, Keysborough, VIC 3173 22:00 - 23:15 Sunday 31st January 2021 Northpoint Café Brighton 2b North Road, Brighton VIC 3186 08:10 - 09:30 Kmart Keysborough Parkmore Keysborough Shopping Centre, C/317 Cheltenham Rd, Keysborough VIC 3173 16:00 - 17:00 Kmart Brandon Park Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Cnr Springvale & Ferntree Gully Rds, Brandon Park, VIC 3170 16:35 - 17:10 Coles Springvale 825 Dandenong Rd, Springvale VIC 3171 17:00 - 18:00 Monday 1 February 2021 Bunnings Springvale 849 Princes Hwy, Springvale VIC 3171 11:28 - 12:15 Melbourne Golf Academy 385 Centre Dandenong Rd, Heatherton VIC 3202 17:19 - 18:36 Anyone who has visited these Tier 1 exposure sites during these times must immediately isolate, get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test, and remain Isolated for 14 days. If you have been at an exposure site, isolate and get tested. Please let us know in this case. If you have symptoms, isolate and get tested and do not visit until the all clear is given. Hopefully, there will not be any more restrictions needed to control this possible COVID leak Yours sincerely, Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer See more

01.01.2022 21st August , 2020 Dear Families, We have been given a glimmer of light with numbers of COVID -19 cases reducing in Victoria over the last week. We still have a long way to go and we are just taking a week at a time. We have had several residents visit hospital and it is our policy to get them COVID-19 swabbed on their return and isolated until the result is back. This usually takes a few days. ... We have had a visit from the A.D.F. today who checked on our COVID-19 preparedness and gave us a few suggestions on extra precautions should we get a case. Previously we have been surveyed by Worksafe, the Infection Control Unit of the Victorian health Department, the health unit of the Federal Government and the Aged Care Quality Commission. Mostly similar questions, but in each case, we have picked up a few more ideas to keep us safe. The other facility near us who had a case of COVID-19 has been given the all clear now so that is good news for everyone, however Koo Wee Rup hospital has a case at present and we wish them all the best in managing that quickly. There are people not doing the right thing out in the community and I believe although it is not normally the Aussie way we should really report these people as it will take longer for us all to be back to normal with our families if people go out in groups and after curfew. I believe you will have received a request for recipes for a cookbook we want to put together and it can be simple or more complicated and it is a project we once did about 20 years ago, but I am sure there are many more exotic dishes around today. Keep safe and you will be informed if we have any concerns for our residents. Yours sincerely Linda Austen Chief Executive Officer