Holiday Closures at The Spectrum Society Office
- Thursday December 24th – Closed
- Friday December 25th – Closed
- Monday December 28th – regular hours
- December 31st – close at 3pm
- Friday January 1st 2021 – Closed
- Monday January 4th – regular hours
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COVID-19 Updates – November 27, 2020
Staying Safe and Healthy
The basics of keeping the people we support, our teams and your families Healthy and Safe are important to practice every day:
- Stay home if you sick – Call 811 for further directions – Contact HR before you return to work
- Wash your hands regularly
- Keep your distance – at least two metres or six feet from people outside your bubble
- Wear a mask on transit, in stores, in all indoor public spaces.
- Keep your social bubble small – But stay connected with friends and family. Phone, video chat, go for a walk outside – it is so important to keep in touch.
Thank you to everyone for the amazing job everyone has done over the past eight months!
Pay during Testing and Isolation
Staying home if you are sick or have been directed to isolate is very important safety step. We want to make sure employees don’t lose paid hours though, so we will pay for scheduled shifts that employees must cancel because they have symptoms or have been directed to isolate while waiting for test results or because Health has directed the employee to isolate and monitor for symptoms.
If you have symptoms, call your manager and HR to let them know you cannot work and your manager will confirm pay for shifts with HR.
This is a short term response to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our teams safe and healthy. It applies to all staff – full-time, part-time and casual staff. We will pay for up to one week of shifts and will provide this benefit until March 31, 2021.
Let us know if you have questions.
There is a new program from the Canadian government to help employees who must be off longer due to COVID-19:
- Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit – pays $500 (taxable) for each 1-week period that you are unable to work.
- As well, EI sickness benefits have been modified to allow greater eligibility and coverage.
Taking Care of Ourselves
The colder weather is here, the COVID-19 numbers are increasing, and our bubbles are decreasing. It’s no wonder some of us are feeling a little anxious or depressed. We are all working hard to stay well this season, and we would like to share a few helpful sites:
- Benefits of thinking positively, and how to do it
- 10 things you can do to stay positive during COVID-19
- Virtual mental health supports during COVID-19
- What to do if you are anxious or worried about COVID-19
Upcoming CLBC Teleconference
- CLBC’s next teleconference call for service providers and home sharing providers with Dr. Behn Smith is now confirmed. Find the details below:
- Date: December 8, 2020
Time: 1 – 2:15 p.m.
Call in: Vancouver 604-681-0260, Elsewhere 1-877-353-9184
Participant code: 37568#
Getting a Flu Shot
Now more than ever, getting a flu shot is an important step to protect yourself and those around you. A flu shot can reduce your chance of developing symptoms that resemble COVID-19 which would require you to get tested and self-isolate. This can increase wait times at testing centres as well as test results and can delay the identification of COVID-19 cases.
Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and others against influenza, especially when used with other infection prevention practices such as proper hand hygiene and staying home from work or school when sick, even with mild symptoms.
Where you can get a flu shot:
- VCH Public Health clinics
- Your family doctor
- Walk-in clinics
- Your pharmacist
- Urgent & primary care centres
Find a location
Appointments are strongly recommended this year to help us maintain physical distancing and to reduce wait times.
More information on flu shots at Vancouver Coastal Health (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast)
More information on flu shots at Fraser Health (Burnaby, New West, Delta, Surrey, Coquitlam, Fraser Valley)
Temporary Pandemic Pay – Still Waiting…
We are still waiting for the funding to arrive so that we can provide the Temporary Pandemic Pay to employees who worked between March 15 to July 4th, 2020. We will keep you updated.
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Hello everyone,
I wanted to share a virtual Christmas event that you, your family or the people you support may be interested in. I have had the joy of singing with Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir for the past 3 years and if you’ve ever been to one of our concerts you know how energetic and memorable they are. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we are not able to do our regular concert series but we hope to still be able to bring some Good Noise into your life this holiday season!
We have created a Christmas video performance with classic gospel Christmas songs, a guest artist, Good Noise soloists (maybe you’ll recognize one 😉) and our incredible gospel band.
Tickets are on sale now, and are available for purchase until December 12th – at which time the concert will be available for viewing, and you will have access to watch it as often as you like from December 12th until January 1st. If you decide to buy a ticket, I hope you enjoy the show!
Syllona Kanu
Program Manager, Spectrum Society for Community Living
Here’s the link to tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/good-tidings-classic-a-good-noise-christmas-video-performance-tickets-126867565303
| Good Tidings Classic! A Good Noise Christmas Video Performance Tickets, Sat, 12 Dec 2020 at 8:00 PM | Eventbrite
Eventbrite – Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir presents Good Tidings Classic! A Good Noise Christmas Video Performance – Saturday, 12 December 2020 – Find event and ticket information. _____________________________________________________________________________ |
Staying Connected with Virtual Bingo
Ruth, Chantel and their teams have been planning a virtual Bingo event to help all the individuals we support stay connected and have some fun during this time!
If anyone you support would like to participate please let Ruth and me know and we will make sure you get the playing cards and stampers that are needed to participate. We will be sending out a Zoom invitation with the dates and details shortly. We are trying to collect information to see how many people are interested to make sure we have enough supplies! We are hoping with enough interest this can be an ongoing event!
Contact us: ruth.villarma@spectrumsociety.org or chantel.foden@spectrumsociety.org
Thank you Chantel and Ruth for helping people stay connected!
Link to Bingo Cards: Bingo Cards
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There is a subtle but important difference between being busy and productive. Here are four tips that can help you focus on being productive, healthy and happy, instead of being busy. Schedule focus timeTackle your most challenging tasks at the time of day when you are most productive – morning, afternoon, or evening. Save the less daunting tasks for when you know you will not be as productive. Schedule this “focus time” in your calendar so that those who need you know that you will not be available during that time. Give yourself a breakTaking a mental break is equally as important as scheduling focus time. Stand up and do some stretches, go for a 10-minute walk, or listen to music. You will come back to your work feeling energized and refreshed. Try not to multitask during your breaks – treat mental breaks as a necessity, not a luxury. Turn your to-do list into a ta-da listRather than fretting over the things you must do, create a ‘ta-da’ list instead to celebrate the things you have already accomplished. Focusing on your accomplishments rather than your tasks can help you feel more productive and motivated. Prefer a to-do list? Then keep it short and focus on what is most important. Know when to ask for helpMultitasking is the hallmark of a ‘busy’ person, but not necessarily a productive one. Next time you feel overwhelmed, try outsourcing, or better yet, ask for help on projects you physically or mentally do not have time for. Resources |
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It is a great time to review the contents of emergency medical and earthquake kits in your home.
Are your water and food rations currently dated? Other items like glow sticks and batteries have expiry dates. It’s a good time to make sure everything is up to date.
Did you use some of the medical supplies during the year? Now is a great time to order replacement items. Please note that WCB Level 1 First Aid Kits are required in all of the homes that are staffed.
Have there been changes in the number of people residing in your home? Do you need more or less supplies?
Have any of the people you live with changed their diets over the past year? Do you need to change the dietary foods in their earthquake kits?
If you need help with restocking your emergency medical and earthquake supplies please feel free to contact Judy Smith at judy@spectrumsociety.org for assistance.
It is a good time to review all safety procedures in the home; making sure that exit routes are clear of debris, including accessing risk factors (for example, moving items on shelves that could fall and moving heavy items to bottom shelves instead of top shelves). Are all staff are familiar with where emergency care items are stored? Please review the following information from our policy manual with the staff and individuals you support. Include staff to join on skype or zoom if you cannot meet in person so everyone is familiar with this process.
(https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/General%20Policies/34.0.EmergencyPreparedness.pdf)
When you have completed your Earthquake Drill please record this information on Sharevision.
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How to Register for Emergency First Aid Community Care:
Call St. John Ambulance: (604) 321-7242
- They above number is their main line, but they have a number of locations across the lower mainland if you would like to call a location directly: http://www.sja.ca/English/About-Us/Pages/Locations.aspx
- Register yourself for Emergency First Aid Community Care.
If you did not have your first aid certificate upon hire, you are responsible for the initial cost, which is currently $102.00, and Spectrum covers renewal fees.
- If you are renewing your first aid, ask St. John Ambulance to invoice Spectrum Society
- Let them know Spectrum Society will be paying for your course fee.
*St. John Ambulance may request authorization from Spectrum. Email hr@spectrumsociety.org with the date/location you want to complete the course and we will call them to confirm your registration.
First Aid is a requirement for employment as indicated in ‘Policy 4: Requirements for Employment.’
If requirements for employment are not met within a timely manner, shifts will be suspended without pay until this requirement is met. Below is a link to Spectrum’s First Aid policy:
Please respond back with your course date. Prior to attending the class please arrange a time to come to the office to receive your free face mask.
Pocket masks will need to be purchased directly from St. John’s Ambulance or can be added to the invoice to Spectrum Society for employees renewing their First Aid (please ask the SJA representative to add it to our invoice).
Please send your certificate of course completion to the Spectrum Society office to have your file updated.
Please let Judy know if you have any questions or issues registering, by emailing her at judy@spectrumsociety.org