Auckland Alert Level 3 change

5 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that Auckland will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3, but from 11.59pm tonight, Tuesday 5 October, there will be a few changes to Level 3 restrictions.

While the Government announced a slight lessening of Alert Level 3 restrictions for most Aucklanders, we need to continue to keep our residents and people safe, and to contain the virus as much as possible. This means there will be no changes to the restrictions in place at our Care Homes.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions and what they mean for our residents and families here at Bupa. We are very mindful of wanting our Auckland Care Home residents reunited with their loved ones, as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, we wanted to remind you about what the continued Alert Level 3 restrictions mean for you and your loved ones:

• We will continue to have exceptions for visits to the care home on compassionate grounds. Please reach out to me to arrange your visit if this applies to you and your loved one.
• We will continue to offer the use of a laptop and/or smart phone so that families can stay connected at this time. This is so important when face-to-face visits are not possible so please let me know if I can help you set up a video call. We welcome families providing their loved one with a device, if you wish to do so.

I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

5 October 2021 - information sent to village residents 

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that Auckland will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3, but from 11.59pm tonight, Tuesday 5 October, there will be a few changes to Level 3 restrictions.

The changes for Auckland are:

• Two households may meet outdoors at one time, up to a maximum of 10 people.
• People may now travel anywhere in the Auckland region for exercise, sports or recreation outdoors.
• Early Learning Centres may reopen to all children, with a maximum of 10 children in each bubble.

The changes in Auckland signify the first phase in a three-step 'roadmap' out of lockdown restrictions, with more information of these phases available at covid19.govt.nz.

While a lessening of restrictions is a welcome change for Aucklanders, we need to continue to keep people safe and to contain the virus as much as possible. This means we are keeping our Care Homes closed to visitors.

We wanted to remind you what Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• The doors between the Care Home and Village will remain closed.
• The community centre and communal areas will remain closed. However, the Government’s announcement means that you and your household may now meet one other household, outdoors, at one time, up to a maximum of 10 people. This is a welcome opportunity for you to meet with friends and family, but please remember to stick to the rules, wear a mask and keep your distance from other households gathering outdoors. We encourage you to record who you are meeting with and when.
• There continue to be no resident activities or van outings.
• Visitors who are in your exclusive extended bubble under Alert Level 3, and who you invite into your home, need to sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually, and observe hygiene protocols.
• Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available.
• The meal service to Village residents will continue to be available through contactless delivery. Milk deliveries will continue.

We hope you enjoy being able to connect with wider family and/or friends, outdoors.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions and what they mean for our residents and families here at Bupa. We will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

Hamilton and Cambridge at Alert Level 3 

5 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau in Hamilton and Cambridge for Alert Level 3 

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that Hamilton City, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Huntly and Ngāruawāhia will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3. The easing of Alert Level 3 restrictions in Auckland will not extend to the Waikato Alert Level 3 area.

For all our Care Homes and Villages in the above regions, for now, there is no change to what we are doing – our Care Homes remain closed to all external visitors.

Our extension of the Alert Level 3 restrictions to Bupa St Kilda Care Home, in Cambridge, also remains in place.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions in place and hope to see our Waikato residents reunited with their loved ones as soon as it is safe to do so.

We wanted to remind you about what Alert Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• We will continue to have exceptions for visits on compassionate grounds, so please do reach out to me to arrange your visit if this applies to you and your loved one.
• We will continue to offer the use of a laptop and/or smart phone so that families can stay connected at this time. This is so important when face-to-face visits are not possible so please let me know if I can help you set up a video call. We welcome families providing their loved one with a device, if you wish to do so.

I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

5 October 2021 - information sent to village residents in Hamilton for Alert Level 3

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that Hamilton City, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Huntly and Ngāruawāhia will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3. The easing of Alert Level 3 restrictions in Auckland will not extend to the Waikato Alert Level 3 area.

For all our Care Homes and Villages in the above regions, for now, there is no change to what we are doing.

We wanted to remind you about what this Alert Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• The doors between the Care Home and Village remain closed.
• The community centre and communal areas remain closed.
• There are no resident activities and van outings remain suspended.
• Please remember to keep your bubble exclusive and only include people where it will keep you and them safe and well.
• Visitors who are in your exclusive extended bubble under Alert Level 3, and who you invite into your home, must observe hygiene protocols and sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually.
• Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available.
• The meal service to Village residents will continue to be available through contactless delivery.

I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions in place and we will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about the changes.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

Rest of New Zealand - Alert Level 2

5 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whāna

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that all of New Zealand, except Auckland and parts of the Waikato region, will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 2.

However, the Level 2 rules will be changing so the 100-person cap on gathering will be removed from Wednesday.

For all of our Bupa Care Homes under Alert Level 2, we will continue to be open for visiting, with the same restrictions in place. As a reminder the key restrictions for our visitors are:

• Please do not visit if you feel at all unwell, if you have been at a location of interest, if you have been in contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, or if you are living with someone who is:
  ● a close contact, or
  ● isolating due to being at a location of interest, or
  ● is being tested for COVID-19 as directed by a GP or the Ministry of Health.

• We require all visitors to wear masks, enter through the main reception, to sanitise their hands on arrival and complete contact tracing.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing our restrictions and will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.

I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

5 October 2021 - information sent to village residents 

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that all of New Zealand, except Auckland and parts of the Waikato region, will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 2.

However, the Level 2 rules will be changing so the 100-person cap on gathering will be removed from Wednesday.

For all of our Bupa Retirement Villages under Alert Level 2, we will continue to be open for visiting. As a reminder, the key restrictions still in place are:

• We require all visitors to enter through the main reception, sanitise their hands on arrival and complete contact tracing.

• Please continue to observe personal hygiene and physical distancing of 1 metre where possible in the Community Centre and communal areas.

• Visitors and residents can use communal spaces but must continue to wear masks while doing so.

• At Alert Level 2 all visitors to our Care Homes are required to wear masks. If you wish to visit someone within the Care Home, please either bring your own mask or we will provide one if needed.

The rules that apply to the general public also apply to village residents, but we ask that you continue to apply extra caution wherever you can. Alert Level 2 guidance can be found at covid19.govt.nz.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing our restrictions and will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.

I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

“It does our bodies good to exercise and keep us moving. I enjoy the hand exercises and also the tutor who takes the session. It gets the blood pumping,” Audrey says.

The sessions are part of Staying Upright, a trial program run by the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, and funded by the Health Research Council, which aims to investigate the impact of a moderate intensity exercise intervention delivered to a care home over a 12-month period.

The exercises themselves are prescribed by the physiotherapist taking the class and have different levels depending on the ability of the group.