May 7, 2021
Dear St.Amant Families,
Over the past week we have had seven positive cases of Covid-19. Five are in employees who work in our Community Residential Program and two are in people we support within that same program. At this time, all employees and people supported are recovering at home.
The numbers of new cases announced in our province today are concerning. We are looking on the bright side at the rates of vaccination within our staff and people we support, as well as in the efficacy of the Personal Protective Equipment that our staff use. At this time we are waiting for more information from Public Health as to what the changes to the Public Health orders mean for visitation within our residential programs. As soon as we have more information, we will share it with you.
As the numbers go up, we are also inevitably seeing higher rates of staff illness or need to self-isolate. At this time our staffing is stable, but we are again reviewing and planning in case we run short of staff. At this time, if your family member is supported residentially in the community, I would ask you to think about whether you would have the capacity to take your family member home for a period of time and what supports you might need to do that. We are also getting in touch with our volunteer group who we’ve brought on as a casual staff pool to ensure that they are still available and to start planning for training. Last, we are reviewing which groups of staff within our organization can be re-directed to direct care.
We urge you to get your vaccine if you are eligible (check your eligibility here) and to follow all Public Health orders.
This pandemic has been a long haul but when we look at our neighbours to the South and other countries where they are further along with vaccinations, we can see that there is light coming. We wanted to share a message from Andrew Terhoch, our Spiritual Health Practitioner who works closely with all programs and services and brings comfort and support daily:
Each and every week, St.Amant Spiritual Health Services has written messages to your loved ones and every staff member and volunteer in our community. Together, we share knowledge and practices to lift our spirits and to nurture hope, love and community.
In our meditations, prayers, reflections and all of the activities that we share, discussions of you arise often. Your loved ones are regularly invited to reflect on the ways they miss you. We practice acceptance for things as they are, and patience in waiting to return to enjoy life alongside you. We practice compassion and self-compassion for our difficult feelings. We create ways to be mindful of gratitude and look for ways to gently hold the spirits of others around us. While there is no balm or remedy to ease all of the suffering this pandemic brings, each moment of kindness in which we say to ourselves or another; “this is hard”, “you are not alone” or “what can we do to take care right now”, we honour how we feel and can create a bit of ease. This is also how your loved ones honour the distance they feel from you. This is how they honour their hope too.
I hope you are finding ways to honour your whole self, especially now, as we meet another difficult stage in the pandemic. I encourage you to find a small gesture of self-care that you can enjoy each day. Something new perhaps, that represents hope for you. A ritual that celebrates the ways that you have succeeded in all that you’ve faced. A practice that honours the ways you miss life and your loved ones deeply. I hope you take time to hold your whole experience; your sadness, your hope, your fatigue and your trust. I hope you can share your feelings with your loved ones. And when you do, talk about hope too. In their hearts, they know exactly how you feel.
May all mothers be held in the spirit of love and gratitude this weekend.
May we remember and hold a place for all of the Mothers we have lost.
And may all Mothers who have lost a child feel the compassion of their community.
May we be well,
May we be peaceful
May we be healthy.
If you are looking for resources to further support your emotional wellbeing, please click here. Wishing all the moms a wonderful Mother’s Day.
John