+61 (08) 8341 0401
Dear families and friends of Pennwood residents,
In response the ongoing state of emergency in South Australia we have made the reluctant decision to put further additional measures in place to protect the vulnerable residents within our care.
These measures include temporarily ceasing resident visitor access as of Saturday 28 March 2020. Exceptions can be made on compassionate grounds in exceptional circumstances or in the event of end of life care. Visitations in these instances can be negotiated with either myself or Director of Nursing – Dubravka Blazevic.
The South Australian State Government has overnight enacted new legislation in relation to aged care facilities.
Please be advised under Section 25 of the Emergency Management Act 2004 Emergency management (Residential Aged Facilities)(COVID 19) Direction 2020
- A resident of an aged care facility who leaves the premises, not related to medical or dental treatment is prohibited from re-entering the facility.
- From 1 May 2020 a person must not enter or remain on the premises of a residential aged care facility if a person has not been vaccinated against 2020 seasonal influenza.
We are continuing to find new ways to keep you in touch with your relative through this difficult time, including phone calls, virtual visits over Skype or Facetime and even writing letters and emails.
Please be assured our staff are closely monitoring the wellbeing of the residents during this time, and lots of strategies are in place to maintain a high level of care, and implement best practice guidelines to manage this COVID-19 emergency.
On behalf of the management and staff I would like to thank you for your understanding and support through this difficult time. You can still book a ‘virtual visit’ by emailing communication@pennwood.org.au or using the messenger function on Pennwood’s facebook page. Please use these systems to communicate directly with a member of the leadership team and we will respond as soon as possible. We do ask that you refrain from calling the facility as much as possible, and especially outside of business hours, as this puts additional stress on our workforce, and we need the care staff to be free to provide the care.
The sooner we work together as a community the sooner this will pass. And it will pass.
Stay safe, and be assured we are doing everything possible to ensure your relative stays safe too.
Kimberley Moss
Business Manager