--_000_YT3PR01MB960956C1AD7F7634064DF5E589C7AYT3PR01MB9609CANP_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Good Evening, The full change of seasons is upon us as we shift from September into Octob= er with the changing hues of Autumn and the fall of the leaves. An importan= t theme throughout the month of October centres around our team members and= the importance of everyone working together to foster a healthy, safe & we= lcoming workplace. Yes, this is home for our residents first and foremost, = but it is only so in thanks to the efforts of our diverse and dedicated tea= ms, and October in Canada is Healthy Workplace Month. Over the course of th= e next month, Mental Illness Awareness and Mental Health overall will come = to light, and we'll also hear much about the importance of spirituality and= religion for both our team members and residents when it comes to care. Th= ese are important topics all year long, but it's nice to see some dedicated= space to highlight just how important they are. We are also looking forward to our Annual Operations Planning Conference ne= xt week in Niagara Falls. It will include village leaders, some team member= s & some residents. "People, Care and Quality" will be the theme & focus of= our conference this year. We are grateful to the supplier partners who hav= e sponsored our conference in various ways. IPAC (Infection Prevention & Control) In the past month we saw outbreaks and infection case numbers spike, mostly= driven by COVID-19 variants, though other respiratory infections were pers= istent as well. We are happy to see that these outbreaks are not causing se= vere illness in our residents. As of Sept 27, we are also happy to see the = numbers have significantly declined. Please remind your team members to sta= y focused on all IPAC practices and to follow the established protocols wh= en they are in our villages. The season for Flu, COVID and RSV infections i= s upon us, and we know that breaking the chain of infection is key to preve= nting and/or controlling outbreaks. We are still awaiting information from = Public Health Ontario as to when villages will start receiving the revised = Covid Vaccine, the new RSV vaccine for people aged 60 and over, and the inf= luenza vaccine. It is anticipated the Influenza vaccines will be first to = be available in early October. We will share more detailed information rega= rding vaccines as soon as it is available. Three-Year CARF Accreditation We are pleased to report that the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilita= tion Facilities (CARF) has awarded Schlegel Villages the highest achievemen= t for accreditation under the Aging Services umbrella. The three-year accre= ditation was announced after the visiting surveyors from the independent, i= nternationally-recognized organization compiled their finding following in-= depth assessments of all aspects of Village operations in August of 2023. "The focus on the enh