Garden Village has confirmed it restricted visitation to sections of its Garden Crescent facility in Port Macquarie to prevent the potential spread of influenza.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sections of the facility were restricted from July 9 to 29.
The decision was taken to protect 'our vulnerable population and others in the community', the organisation says.
Garden Village CEO Craig Wearne said there were at least eight facilities in the region also affected by the virus during July.
"We have not seen this occur at Garden Village for a number of years," Mr Wearne said.
"When the virus is active in the broader community, it is more likely to be spread into aged care facilities.
"We were able to minimise the spread of infection and reduce the impact on residents, staff and families, by restricting access to only the affected areas of Garden Village at various times," he said.
"Our facility worked closely with NSW Health Public Health Unit, our visiting doctors, and onsite nursing and care staff to ensure a coordinated and timely response to the issue."
Mr Wearne said by increasing care and support for residents and communicating regularly with the Public Health Unit, we were able to reduce the spread of the virus and manage its impact.
The CEO acknowledged that it was unfortunate that many facilities around Australia have been affected by the influenza virus this year.
Garden Village are strong advocates for the flu vaccine, providing all staff and residents the vaccine, which helped reduce the symptoms and negative effects of the virus.
- Craig Wearne
"Garden Village are strong advocates for the flu vaccine, providing all staff and residents the vaccine, which helped reduce the symptoms and negative effects of the virus," he said.
"Our planning, proactive management and good infection control practices meant we were able to reduce the impact on residents and their families.
"Those who were affected have recovered well with the support of our caring team and treatment by our dedicated doctors."
Mr Wearne said the facility received support from its residents and their families during the restriction period.
"While reducing visitor contact is no doubt difficult, our residents and families understood the severity of the issue and the need to minimise risk.
"We are grateful for everyone's support and efforts to ensure the wellbeing of our community."
He said Garden Village was proud of the way our team worked together, under the professional guidance of our clinical leaders, to care for our residents, reduce the spread of the virus and ensure a speedy recovery for our community.
Also making news:
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.
