Volunteers

Update on Selwyn Village and Care Homes COVID-19 protocols for Volunteers under the Orange traffic light setting

The country remains in the Orange traffic light setting under the Government’s COVID-19 Protection Framework.
Volunteers are able to visit our villages and care homes under the Orange traffic light setting providing you adhere to the following COVID protocols:

Volunteering protocols under the ORANGE traffic light system

Volunteers to the care homes must:

• complete the necessary SelwynLearn Orientation e-module on infection prevention and control.
• Undertake a RAT test and return a negative result.
• Sign into the Visitor Management System and wear a medical/surgical mask at all times.
• Visiting is only allowed in residents bedrooms where volunteers must maintain physical distancing of one metre, and comply with all infection prevention and screening controls.
• Volunteers to the villages and independent living units must sign into the Visitor Management System, wear a mask at all times, maintain a physical distance of one metre, and observe all health, hygiene and safety measures.
• Volunteers are permitted to enter the communal resident areas of the village, including the café, shops, arts and craft room, theatre, and library.
• Volunteers are permitted to take independent living residents on van trips/outings, buggy/tricycle rides, etc.
• We would like to thank our volunteers for all they continue to do to support our residents and keep Selwyn Village safe.

 

COVID-19 Update Village and Care home protocols for Volunteers under the Red traffic light setting

As you know, the country is now in the Red traffic light setting under the Government’s COVID-19 Protection Framework.
Volunteers are able to visit our villages and care homes under the RED traffic Light setting providing you adhere to the following COVID protocols:

Volunteering protocols under the RED traffic light system

• All volunteers must be fully vaccinated, and provide proof of vaccination to reception staff
• Volunteers entering the villages are encouraged to have had their booster vaccination, which you can now get four months after your second dose. This is our most effective defence against the new Omicron variant and it offers a high level of protection against severe disease.
• Sign into the Visitor Management System at reception and answer the specific health declaration questions, be temperature checked, scan in using the QR code.
• Any vaccinated volunteer who is deemed to present a higher risk, as result of their responses to the screening questions in the Visitor Management System, will be asked to undergo a rapid antigen test on-site and will need to return a negative result before they can enter the village.
• Volunteers to the care homes must have completed the necessary SelwynLearn orientation e-module for infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene etc.
• Volunteers must wear a medical/surgical mask
• At all times volunteers must maintain physical distancing of two metres
• Volunteers will be permitted access to the villages and independent living units, but must wear a medical/surgical mask at all times and maintain physical distancing of two metres, and comply with all screening/safety measures.
• Volunteers are permitted to take independent living residents on van trips/outings, buggy/tricycle rides, etc providing a 2 metre distance is maintained.
• Volunteers will not be permitted to enter the communal resident areas of the village.

Please contact your Village / Care Manager to arrange a designated time to visit.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance in complying with these protocols that are in place to keep our residents, staff and volunteers safe from the ongoing COVID threat.

COVID-19 Update Village and Care home protocols for Volunteers under the Red and Orange traffic light settings

As you know, Auckland has now moved into the Orange traffic light setting under the Government’s COVID-19 Protection Framework, but Northland remains at Red. For volunteers visiting our villages and care homes you are required to meet the following COVID protocols:

• All volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated.
• Volunteers are permitted access into specified areas of the villages, providing:

• • Sign into the Visitor Management System at reception and answer the specific health declaration questions,
  • Be temperature checked,
  • Scan in using the QR code,
  • Provide proof of vaccination to reception staff, and
  • Follow the infection prevention protocols e.g. hand hygiene, etc.

Volunteering protocols under the ORANGE traffic light system

• Volunteers to the care homes must have completed the necessary SelwynLearn e-module on infection prevention and control. They must wear a mask at all times and maintain physical distancing of one metre, and comply with all screening/safety measures above.
• Volunteers to the villages and independent living units must sign into the Visitor Management System, wear a mask at all times, observe all infection prevention and screening controls above, and maintain a physical distance of one metre.
• Volunteers are permitted to enter the communal resident areas of the village, including the café, shops, arts and craft room, theatre, and library.
• Volunteers are permitted to take independent living residents on van trips/outings, buggy/tricycle rides, etc.

Volunteering protocols under the RED traffic light system – Northland until further Government notice

• Volunteers to the care homes must have completed the necessary SelwynLearn e-module on infection prevention and control. They must wear a mask at all times and maintain physical distancing of two metres, and comply with all screening/safety measures above.
• Volunteers will be permitted access to the villages and independent living units, but must wear a mask at all times and maintain physical distancing of two metres, and comply with all screening/safety measures above.
• Volunteers will not be permitted to enter the communal resident areas of the village.

Please contact your Village / Care Manager or Activities contact to arrange an appropriate time to visit.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance in complying with these protocols that are in place to keep our residents, staff and volunteers safe from the ongoing COVID threat.

Please note that the Ivan Ward Centre at Selwyn Village is currently closed to external visitors including volunteers.

As you know, New Zealand has transitioned to the new COVID-19 Protection Framework (the traffic light system). We have reviewed our village visiting restrictions and other health and safety protocols in readiness for both Red and Orange settings and these are outlined below. 

 

Red Traffic Light:

All new and existing volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated in accordance with the Government mandate for the health and disability sector, unless they are medically exempted from vaccination. They will be permitted access to the villages and independent living units provided they use the Visitor Management System, follow the hand hygiene guidelines, wear a mask at all times and maintain physical distancing of two metres when practicable.

Volunteers will only be granted access to the care homes if they have been listed as one of a resident’s three nominated visitors for visiting on compassionate grounds. They must be fully vaccinated and comply with the relevant COVID safety protocols and observe additional safety measures for their particular role.

 

Orange Traffic Light:

All new and existing volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated in accordance with the Government mandate for the health and disability sector, unless they are medically exempted from vaccination. They will be permitted access to the villages and independent living units provided they use the Visitor Management System, follow the hand hygiene guidelines, wear a mask at all times and maintain physical distancing when practicable.

Volunteers who have been nominated as one of a care resident’s three designated visitors will be able to visit, providing they have been fully vaccinated and comply with the relevant COVID safety protocols and observe additional safety measures for their particular role.

Selwyn Villages and Care Homes continue at their current restrictions.

Further to the Government’s announcement yesterday of no changes to current Alert Levels, we would like to remind volunteers that, at this point, visiting restrictions for volunteers remain in place for all Selwyn Villages.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments.

All Selwyn villages still remain closed to volunteers

Clearly we are all disappointed with the announcement yesterday of specific areas within Waikato moving back up to Alert level 3 and now today with ongoing Alert level 3 lockdown in Auckland, (albeit a 3-step plan).

Unfortunately we are still not in a position to allow volunteers back into our villages even for Wellington and Whangarei currently at Alert Level 2.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments.

Auckland remains at Alert Level 4, while the rest of the country continues at Alert Level 2 until Tuesday, 21 September 2021.

All Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers until further notice

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland and Northland have dropped to Alert Level 3, all Selwyn villages and care homes will remain closed to volunteers until further notice.

We encourage you as we do our staff to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments.

This message was reviewed 6 September 2021 and all Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers until further notice.

All Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers until further notice

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland and now Northland have dropped to Alert Level 3, all Selwyn villages and care homes will remain closed to volunteers until further notice.

We encourage you as we do our staff to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments.

 

All Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers until further notice

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland will drop to Alert Level 3 at midnight tomorrow night, all Selwyn villages and care homes will remain closed to volunteers until further notice.

We encourage you as we do our staff to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments.

 

All Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers beyond Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland may drop to Level 3 at midnight Tuesday, 31 August 2021, all Selwyn villages and care homes will still remain closed to family members, other visitors, volunteers, and non-essential personnel/contractors until further notice.

We encourage you as we do our staff to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest. We continue to monitor developments and will be in touch if anything changes.

We thank you for your ongoing support and patience.

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown - All Selwyn villages remain closed to volunteers until further notice

The Government announced today that New Zealand will remain at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 until Friday, 27 August and Auckland until Tuesday, 31 August 2021.

All Selwyn villages and care homes remain closed to family members, other visitors, volunteers, and non-essential personnel/contractors until further notice.

As in the past, Selwyn alert levels have lagged the Governments, and we will continue this in order to keep all those we care for, as safe as possible. We thank you in advance for your support and patience.

With the mounting number of COVID cases, we also encourage you to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.

We continue to monitor developments and will be in touch if anything changes.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our residents and keep safe.

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown - All Selwyn villages closed to volunteers until further notice

The Government announced today that New Zealand will enter COVID-19 Alert Level 4 from 11.59pm this evening for a minimum of three days and seven days for Auckland and Coromandel. Due to the increased risk of community transmission we have now closed all Selwyn villages and care homes to family members, other visitors, volunteers, and non-essential personnel/contractors.

We thank you for your continued support of our residents and we will be in touch if anything changes.
Stay safe.

This message was reviewed 20 August 2021 and our villages still remain closed until further notice.

 We welcome volunteers back to all our villages under our Alert Level 1 procedures

Updated 22 March 2021

From midday Friday, we welcomed our volunteers back to all our villages, including our Auckland care homes who are now operating at Alert Level 1.

Please continue to comply with our strict health screening and signing-in procedures and to observe all the infection prevention and control precautions such as good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our villages or care homes – to be on the safe side, and contact HealthLine on 0800 358 5453 for advice and to see if you need to get a test. To keep up-to-date with accurate and timely information, go to covid19.govt.nz and health.govt.nz.

 

Auckland joins the rest of the country at Alert Level 1

Updated 12 March 2021

From today, we look forward to welcoming our volunteers back to our village sites. This applies to our villages outside of Auckland and to our independent living sites within Auckland (but not to our Auckland care homes – as they still remain under restrictions).

Please continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at village reception or care home entrance, wear your identification label and use hand sanitiser before proceeding.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our villages or care homes – to be on the safe side, and contact HealthLine on 0800 358 5453 for advice. To keep up-to-date with accurate and timely information, go to: covid19.govt.nz and health.govt.nz.

We greatly appreciate your continued support of our residents, and in following these important infection control and prevention procedures.

Villages outside Auckland to reopen to volunteers, but Auckland villages still closed.

5 March 2021

Auckland villages remain closed to volunteers after the Government announced today that Auckland is to move to Alert Level 2 at 6:00am Sunday morning. However with the rest of New Zealand moving to Alert Level 1, from Monday, volunteers will be welcome back to Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott.

Please continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at village receptions or care home entrances, wear your identification label and use hand sanitiser before proceeding.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our villages or care homes – to be on the safe side, and contact HealthLine on 0800 358 5453 for advice. To keep up-to-date with accurate and timely information, go to: covid19.govt.nz and health.govt.nz.

We greatly appreciate your continued support of our residents, and in following these important infection control and prevention procedures.

 

Back to Alert Level 4 lockdown for all Auckland Selwyn villages and care homes. Alert Level 3 lockdown for Selwyn villages outside of Auckland

Updated 28 February 2021

Following the Government’s announcement last night that Auckland is to move to Alert Level 3 at 6:00am this morning and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 2 for the next 7 days we have now closed all our Auckland villages and care homes to all visitors, including volunteers. This applies to Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights and Selwyn Oaks. We have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission.

Our villages and care homes outside Auckland have been moved to Alert Level 3, which means they will be closed to all visitors, including volunteers. This applies to Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott villages. These precautions are in line with the NZACA’s established advice.

Should anyone have visited any of the locations listed by the Ministry of Health which are considered to be at risk of COVID-19 community transmission during the timeframes in question, it’s important that they contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if they need to get tested for COVID-19. Please stay at home until you’ve returned a negative test result.

The latest list of impacted locations is available on the Ministry of Health website.

If you or any close family member feel unwell at all, please stay home and do not socialise; should you develop cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline about getting a test.

 

Villages to reopen to volunteers

Updated 22 February 2021

The government has announced that as from midnight Monday 22nd February the country is now at Alert Level 1.

From Wednesday 24^th February we look forward to welcoming our volunteers back to our facilities, providing you are wearing a face covering. This is to keep our residents and yourself safe, because the source of community transmission is unknown .

Please continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at village reception or care home entrance, wear your identification label and use hand sanitiser before proceeding.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our villages or care homes – to be on the safe side, and contact HealthLine on 0800 358 5453 for advice. To keep up-to-date with accurate and timely information, go to: covid19.govt.nz and health.govt.nz.

We greatly appreciate your continued support of our residents, and in following these important infection control and prevention procedures.

 

 

Villages remain closed to volunteers

Updated 19 February 2021

Our care homes in Auckland remain closed to all visitors and non-essential personnel, and our care homes outside the Auckland region are allowing restricted visitor access only. Independent living services at all villages are currently operating at Alert Level 2 status. Therefore, we are unable to welcome our volunteers at any of our sites at the current time.

We will review our Alert Level status again on Monday, 22 February, according to the latest Government advice and within the context of any new cases that may be detected in the community.

Everyone should continue to remain vigilant in terms of their own infection control and hygiene practices when out and about in the community. Please be mindful of the need to exercise physical distancing from others (two metres in public and in retail stores, like supermarkets and clothes shops, and one metre in most other places such as cafes and restaurants). It’s also recommended you wear a face covering in situations where physical distancing is not possible, eg, in shops; legally, you must wear a face covering on public transport. Please also observe all the recommended hygiene measures, such as washing your hands regularly and coughing or sneezing into your elbow, and keep track of where you’ve been. If you feel unwell at all, you should stay home and do not socialise; if you develop cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to get advice about being tested.

The Ministry of Health has added a number of new locations to its list of ‘at risk’ venues, following the latest community cases in South Auckland. Should anyone have visited any of these locations during the timeframes in question, they should contact Healthline to see if they need to get tested for COVID-19. The updated list of impacted locations is available on the Ministry of Health website.

Stay safe, and we hope to be able to welcome our volunteers back in the near future.

Alert Level 4 lockdown for all Auckland Selwyn villages and care homes. Alert Level 3 lockdown for Selwyn villages outside of Auckland

Updated 15 February 2021

Following the Government’s announcement last night – Auckland has moved to Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 2 for 72 hours – we have now closed all our Auckland villages and care homes to all visitors, including volunteers. This applies to Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights and Selwyn Oaks. We have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission of the highly contagious COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom.

Our villages and care homes outside Auckland have been moved to Alert Level 3, which means they will be closed to all visitors, including volunteers. This applies to Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott villages.   

Should anyone have visited any of the locations listed by the Ministry of Health which are considered to be at risk of COVID-19 community transmission during the timeframes in question, it’s important that they contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if they need to get tested for COVID-19. Please stay at home until you’ve returned a negative test result.

The latest list of impacted locations is available on the Ministry of Health website.

If you or any close family member feel unwell at all, please stay home and do not socialise; should you develop cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline about getting a test.

The Government is to review the Alert Level status every 24 hours. To keep up-to-date with this accurate and timely information, go to: covid19.govt.nz and health.govt.nz.

In addition to the above advice, for your own wellbeing we advise you to follow the recommended infection control and hygiene measures – sanitise your hands, wear a face covering when in public spaces, practise social distancing, use the NZ COVID Tracer App, scan the QR codes on display wherever you go or use other contact tracing options.

We will keep you advised of any changes in due course.

Until then, take care and stay safe.

 

Alert Levels in all Selwyn villages are at Level 1.5 including Selwyn Park care home, Whangarei

4 February 2021

As there have been no further community cases of COVID-19 reported in Northland, Auckland or elsewhere in the country in the last few days, all our care homes - including Selwyn Park - in Whangarei are open to volunteers providing you wear a mask at all times when in the villages.

As a further precaution, if any of our volunteers have visited within a certain timeframe any of the ‘high risk’ locations listed by the Ministry of Health – or you have a close contact who has done so – please would you postpone any planned visit to our villages for the time being. The current list of locations is available on the MOH website.

The Ministry of Health advises that, although there’s a low risk of exposure, anyone who visited these locations during the relevant times should stay at home and contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if and when they need to get tested. If individuals begin to feel unwell or start to develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should get a test immediately and stay at home until they receive a negative test result back.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our villages or care homes – to be on the safe side.

We look forward to welcoming our volunteers, wearing the appropriate face coverings. Please continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at village reception or care home entrance, wear your identification label and use hand sanitiser before proceeding.

Thank you for your continued support and ongoing cooperation with these important infection control and prevention procedures.

 

Alert Levels in all Selwyn villages are at Level 1.5 including Selwyn Park care home, Whangarei

29 January 2021

As there have been no further community cases of COVID-19 reported in Northland, Auckland or elsewhere in the country today, all our care homes including Selwyn Park in Whangarei are open for visiting, providing visitors and volunteers wear a mask at all times when they are at the villages.

As a further precaution, if volunteers have visited within a certain timeframe any of the ‘high risk’ locations listed by the Ministry of Health – or you have a close contact who has – please would you postpone any planned visit to our care homes for the time being. The current list of locations is available on the Ministry of Health's website.

The Ministry of Health advises that, although there’s a low risk of exposure, any volunteer who visited these locations during the relevant times should stay at home and contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if and when they need to get tested. If individuals begin to feel unwell or start to develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should get a test immediately and stay at home until they receive a negative test result back.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our care homes – to be on the safe side.

In addition, if any prospective volunteer or their family member have travelled back to New Zealand and have recently left a managed isolation hotel or quarantine, please do not return to our villages for 14 days.

Please remember to continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at the care home entrance, wear your identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care homes.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and compliance with these important infection control and prevention procedures.

Alert Level 4 lockdown precautions at Selwyn Park care home, Whangarei

27 January 2021

Following the Ministry of Health’s confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test result in Northland, we wish to advise that our care home at Selwyn Park is closed to all visitors including volunteers, and we have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions. Our care home will be closed for fourteen days (from 24 January 2021); we will then review the situation and update you on any changes to our Alert Level.

In light of the recent positive case and the number of locations in Northland which the person had visited, if any of our volunteers also visited any of those venues listed by the Ministry of Health within the relevant timeframe, please ensure that you self-isolate, get a COVID test and self-isolate until you receive the result.

The current list of locations of interest is available on the Ministry of Health website.

As a reminder to all our volunteers, washing your hands regularly, having the NZ COVID tracer app on your phone and Bluetooth tracing turned on, scanning QR codes, and staying home if you’re unwell is the best way to prevent any possible risk of spreading the virus.

Updates for volunteers at our Auckland, Waikato and Wellington care homes

27 January 2021

Visitors are now required to wear face masks as an additional protection against the heightened risk of COVID.

Following the Ministry of Health’s confirmation of the positive COVID-19 test result in Northland, we wish to advise you that volunteers to our care homes in Auckland, the Waikato and in Wellington are now required to wear a mask at all times for at least the next fourteen days due to the heightened risk of community transmission.

Although the confirmed case has been reported in Northland, due to the holiday period and the increased frequency of people travelling around the regions, we prefer to take a precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat in order to protect the vulnerable residents in our care.

If any of our volunteers have visited any of the locations in Northland listed by the Ministry of Health which are considered to be at risk of COVID-19 community transmission during the timeframes in question, please ensure that you self-isolate, get a COVID test and self-isolate until you receive the result. The current list of locations of interest is available on the Ministry website.

As a reminder to all our volunteers, washing your hands regularly, having the NZ COVID tracer app on your phone and Bluetooth tracing turned on, scanning QR codes, and staying home if you’re unwell is the best way to prevent any possible risk of spreading the virus.

We’ll review the situation again after this initial fourteen-day period and will update you then on any changes to our Alert Level.

An update for Auckland Volunteers

Update 8 October 2020

Now that Auckland has joined the rest of New Zealand at COVID-19 Alert Level 1, our Auckland care homes – Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights, Selwyn Oaks – are relaxing some of their COVID-19 restrictions and implementing a staged approach to moving to Alert Level 1. This is to enable residents to enjoy a full return to activities, whilst important infection prevention precautions remain in place in order to maintain a safe and risk-free environment for our village communities.

We are therefore pleased to be able to welcome back our Auckland volunteers into our care homes, as they can now join our volunteers at Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott who returned to our care homes from 24^th September.      

On returning to volunteer at the villages, all our volunteers will need to observe the following health and safety guidelines:

• Please notify the Village or Care Manager in advance of your visit.
• On arrival, check in via our Visitor Management System and scan the QR code at the care home entrance.
• In our Auckland care homes, volunteers will have to wear a mask and have their temperature taken for the next two weeks.
• Elsewhere, the continued use of face coverings is encouraged to help keep our residents safe.
• Please wear the identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see the residents.
• Observe the infection prevention precautions, including good hand hygiene (using soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and drying thoroughly).
• If you are assisting with minivan trips for our residents, you will need to wear a mask and complete and return the contact tracing forms for the outings.

Alert Level 1 doesn’t mean that COVID-19 has been eliminated from New Zealand, so please observe the main infection prevention and control measures which we’ve become used to and are now part of our way of life - good hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette, physical distancing from those you don’t know, and keeping a record of where you’ve been and who you’ve had contact with.

Above all, if you have cold or flu symptoms, please do not visit a Selwyn village, but stay home and call your GP or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need a test.

Please stay up-to-date via the Government’s COVID-19 website and, in particular, with the advice on the protecting yourself and others from covid-19 section, face coverings, keeping track of where you’ve been via the Covid tracing app, and maintaining physical distancing.

The Foundation also offers a range of resources and advice on support services, which are available at our ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Safe’ pages.

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation. 

 

Update for Volunteers

24 September 2020

Following the Government’s announcement earlier this week, the Auckland region has now moved to Alert Level 2, with the rest of the country at COVID Alert Level 1. This update confirms what it means for volunteers in our villages and residential care homes across the country.

While Auckland is now at full Alert Level 2 with no extra restrictions, our care homes in Auckland - Selwyn Village, Selwyn Oaks and Selwyn Heights - will continue to operate at Alert Level 3 for at least another week, due to the community transmission that still poses a threat in Auckland. Unfortunately for now, therefore, our volunteers will not be able to return to our villages and care homes. While this is disappointing, we will review this again in another seven days within the context of the number of new cases that may be detected in the community.

Our care homes outside the Auckland region at Selwyn Park (Whangarei), Selwyn Wilson Carlile (Hamilton), Selwyn St Andrew’s (Cambridge) and Selwyn Sprott (Wellington) have now moved to Alert Level 1, as there’s no evidence of community transmission in these regions. We’re pleased to advise that many of the restrictions on visiting have therefore now been lifted. As a result, we’re able to welcome our volunteers back to Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott. However, to protect everyone, on returning you will need to observe the following health and safety guidelines:

• In advance of your visit, please notify the Village or Care Manager.
• On arrival, check in via our Visitor Management System and answer the health declaration questions. Please scan the QR code at the care home entrance.
• Wear the identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see the residents.
• Observe the infection prevention control measures, such as good hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette.
• The use of face coverings is encouraged to help keep our residents safe, and are particularly useful when physical distancing is difficult.

Our care homes will be resuming engagement-in-life activities that were temporarily suspended during the higher Alert Levels. These include van trips, and specific cleaning protocols have been developed to cater for this. If volunteers are assisting with these trips, please complete the contact tracing forms for the outings which you will be required to hand back on return.

Despite the easing of restrictions, please be assured that our care teams will continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents. While we’re pleased we are now at this ‘new normal’, we must keep in mind that COVID-19 is still in the world.

As a higher Alert Level is in place for Auckland (Level 2), it will be important for any visiting volunteers travelling from Auckland to wear a mask when visiting our care homes outside that region. Similarly, if you’ve been in Auckland in the last fourteen days, please wear a mask for the foreseeable future when visiting residents. Your assistance in observing this precaution is appreciated, as it will be a help in keeping our residents safe from any possible risk of exposure to the virus.

When out and about in the community, please continue to remain vigilant in terms of your own infection control practices and the need to keep a record of your movements and who you’ve been in contact with. If you feel unwell, stay home and contact your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 if experiencing flu or cold-like symptoms.

Please stay up-to-date via the Government’s COVID-19 website and, in particular, with the advice on the protecting yourself and others from covid-19 section, face coverings, keeping track of where you’ve been via the Covid tracing app, and maintaining physical distancing.

The Foundation also offers a range of resources and advice on support services, which are available at our ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Safe’ pages.

 

Volunteer update

Update 16 September 2020

On Monday the Prime Minister announced the country will remain at the current Alert Levels for one more week until 11.59pm on Monday 21st September.

The Selwyn Foundation’s villages and care homes will continue to remain closed to volunteers, in order to minimise any possible risk of Covid-19 and to protect our vulnerable communities. We appreciate your understanding and continued support of our residents.

The health and wellbeing of our volunteers is important to us. Please stay up to date via the governments Covid-19 website in particular the advice on protecting yourself and others from covid-19 section; and information on face coverings, keeping track of where you’ve been via the Covid tracing app, and maintaining physical distancing.

We will continue to update you as further changes occur; until then we recommend you wear masks in public places, stay safe and be kind.

 

The latest information for volunteers

Update 26 August 2020

On Monday the Government announced the decision to apply a short extension to Auckland's Alert Level 3 until midnight on Sunday 30 August. Therefore, from Monday 31 August, Auckland will be at Alert Level 2 along with the rest of New Zealand.

The Selwyn Foundation’s villages and care homes will continue to remain closed to volunteers at level 2, in order to minimise the risk of community spread of Covid-19 and to protect our vulnerable communities. This is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future.

For all our volunteers your own health and wellbeing is important to us. Please stay up to date with the Government’s advice on the Covid-19 website, in particular the ‘Protecting yourself and others from covid-19’ section; where there is ample information on face coverings, keeping track of where you’ve been via the Covid tracing app, and maintaining physical distancing.

The Foundation also offers a range of resources and advice on support services that are available at our ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Safe’ pages.

We will provide you with further updates as we progress through the Alert Levels. In the meantime, stay safe.

 

Update for volunteers and contractors

Updated 18 August 2020

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Friday that Auckland is to remain at Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand at Level 2 for another 12 days until 26 August, we have reintroduced our stricter Alert Level 4 precautions at all our villages and care homes throughout the country, which are now in full lockdown. As with the previous lockdowns, The Selwyn Foundation is front-footing this crisis to actively manage any risk, and the steps we are taking go above and beyond the Government guidelines, in order to reduce any possibility of the virus entering our safe environments. Regrettably, therefore, we will be unable to welcome you into our village communities for the foreseeable future.

We appreciate that this will come as disappointing news for you, but you will understand that it is important that we protect our vulnerable residents at this time of heightened risk. 

For all our volunteers and contracted staff, your health and wellbeing are also very important to us. As a reminder, the symptoms of COVID-19 that you should look out for include: a cough, a high temperature (at least 37.5˚C), shortness of breath, a sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, a temporary loss of smell and conjunctivitis. If you develop any of these symptoms, please contact your GP or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453; do make sure you get tested for COVID-19, if your GP recommends it.

Should any of our Selwyn volunteers be continuing to undertake voluntary services in the wider community under the direction of a recognised service provider, Volunteering New Zealand has produced some helpful advice, as has the Ministry of Health. Other ways in which you can continue to volunteer include:

• helping out neighbours who may be frail or vulnerable, by picking up a few groceries for them when you next do your shopping
• keeping in touch by phone with those you know who might live on their own and are self-isolating.

We would like to thank you all for your continued support of our Selwyn communities during this ongoing pandemic. The Selwyn Foundation is extremely grateful for everything you do for our residents, day centre clients and Selwyn Centre guests throughout the year and for the enhancement you bring to our engagement-in-life activities that are further enriched by your valuable contribution.

We will write to you again with another update as and when the current Alert Levels change. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy.

 

Latest information for volunteers

Updated 12 August 2020

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that Auckland is to move to Level 3 for a period of three days from midday on Wednesday, 12 August 2020, please be advised that our villages are now closed, with no access to visitors.

We thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Please check this page regularly for further updates.

For the latest COVID-19 information, go to www.covid19.govt.nz.

 

Update on volunteering at Selwyn under Alert Level 1

Updated 10 June 2020

As the nation has moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 due to there being no known active cases in the country, we are pleased to advise that many of the restrictions on visiting our villages have been lifted.

At Level 1 we are able to welcome you back to our villages, which means you will be able to reconnect with our Selwyn residents over a chat, and help with activities and transport for resident outings. While we celebrate this good news, there are still protocols in place that you will need to follow.

Before returning to the care home where you volunteer, please contact the Care Manager or Administrator/Diversional Therapist to let them know when you intend to visit. On arrival, you will need to sign in via our Visitor Management System at the care home entrance, answer the health declaration questions within the system, wear your volunteer badge and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see the residents.  Please observe the infection prevention control measures, such as good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette – all the precautions that are part of our new way of life.

Despite the easing of restrictions, staff will continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents to ensure their wellbeing.  We must keep in mind that COVID-19 is still in the world. Everyone should remain vigilant in terms of their own infection control practices and keep a record of our movements and those we’ve been in personal contact with.

We thank you for your patience and understanding throughout these challenging times, as we worked to provide a safe environment and to protect those in our care.  As always, we are most appreciative of all you do to support our residents.  We can now look forward to ‘uniting for recovery’ and uniting with our residents

For the latest Government advice on COVID-19 go to: https://covid19.govt.nz/

The Foundation offers a wide range of resources and advice on support services that are available at our ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Safe’ pages.

 

Update on volunteering at Selwyn under Alert Level 2

Updated 14 May 2020

Dear Selwyn volunteers

During Alert Level 2, our care homes will have restricted visiting by appointment and for one family member only at any one time. This is to protect our vulnerable residents from the risk of COVID-19 and to allow accurate record keeping for contact tracing (should it be needed).

Unfortunately, this means under Alert Level 2 our care homes remain closed to volunteers and other visitors.  We acknowledge this news may be disappointing for our volunteers, as you will want to reconnect with our Selwyn residents over a chat or help with activities in our care facilities.

For volunteers who help out in the independent living areas in the retirement villages, we are still taking a range of health and safety precautions and other protective measures to minimise the risk of exposure for residents.  Regrettably, therefore, we will not be able to welcome you into our village communities for the time being.

We thank you for your understanding on why we must ensure safe practice and for your cooperation during these times.  We are most appreciative of all you do to support our residents. Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so please continue to practise good hygiene, keep your distance and have safe small gatherings with others.  

The Foundation offers a wide range of resources and advice on support services that are available at our ‘Be Well, Be Kind, Be Safe’ webpages https://www.selwynfoundation.org.nz/be-well-be-kind-be-safe/

The latest Government advice on COVID-19 can be found at: https://covid19.govt.nz/

We will provide you with further updates as we progress through the Alert Levels. In the meantime, please continue to play it safe, stay healthy, keep it small and keep your distance.

 

Update on volunteering at Selwyn under Alert Level 3

Updated: 30 April 2020

Despite the easing of some of the more stringent Alert Level 4 requirements, The Selwyn Foundation’s villages and care homes will continue to remain closed to visitors, families and volunteers under Level 3, in order to minimise any possible risk of COVID-19 and to protect our vulnerable communities. This is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future and until we come out of Level 2. 

Should any of our Selwyn volunteers be undertaking voluntary services during Alert Level 3 under the direction of a recognised service provider, the COVID-19 Volunteer Guidelines might be helpful, which have been issued this week by the Ministry of Health and Volunteering New Zealand. Otherwise, and as per these recommendations, we suggest that the best way you can help others is by staying home and helping people from there. There are still ways in which you can volunteer, such as:

• helping out neighbours who may be frail or vulnerable, by picking up a few groceries for them when you next do your shopping
• keeping in touch by phone with those you know may be living on their own - a phone call will brighten someone’s day and make them feel they’re not alone, even though they may be isolated at home.

We would like to thank you all for your continued support of Selwyn and our wider communities during this pandemic. The Selwyn Foundation is extremely grateful for everything you do and greatly appreciates your gift of time and the valuable contribution you make to our work and mission.

We will write to you again with a further update as we progress through Level 2, but, in the meantime, stay safe and healthy - at home if you can - and keep your ‘bubble’ small. 

 

Advice for our Volunteers

Updated: 18 March 2020

To help prevent COVID-19 affecting our village communities, we are introducing additional measures in order to protect our vulnerable residents.

Effective 18 March, we regret to inform our Volunteers that we will be temporarily closing our care homes to all visitors. This includes volunteers, contractors and family friends, regardless of whether they feel well, haven’t travelled overseas or been in contact with anyone who has recently returned from abroad. 

For all our volunteers your own health and wellbeing is important to us. The symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. If any of our volunteer community are suffering with cold or flu-like symptoms, we recommend you to self-isolate for 14 days until you are clear of symptoms.  Stay at home, avoid public gatherings and events, and follow good hygiene practices - cover your mouth and nose when sneezing with disposable tissues, then wash hands or use hand sanitiser, and maintain distance from others.

If people are concerned they can phone Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453 or contact their GP, phoning ahead of their visit. Further information is available here or you can visit the new Government website https://covid19.govt.nz/

Thank you for all you do to support our residents, and for your understanding and cooperation during this uncertain time.