December 28, 2020
COVID-19 UPDATE
Dear Tabor Village Families and Friends:
Tabor Court Update
We are pleased to report that after testing both tenants and staff at Tabor Court, there are no positive cases from the point prevalence test. Extra safety measures have been lifted by Fraser Health Public Health officials and the previous COVID-19 infection control practices have been reinstated. In-person visits have already resumed as of today.

Tabor Home Outbreak Update
We are pleased to report that after the previous two testing rounds of all residents and staff at Tabor Home, there are no new positive cases. This is GREAT news, which means we are looking ahead to the outbreak being declared over toward the end of the first week of January. As soon as the outbreak is declared over, we will be able to resume in-person visits! Keep an eye on your emails for that announcement.

Residents
  • Total cases since the outbreak: 92
  • Recovered: 68
  • Active cases: 0
  • Total COVID-related deaths: 24
 
Staff
  • Total cases since the outbreak: 63
  • Recovered and/or returned to work: 63
  • Active cases: 0

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are still grieving the loss of loved ones during this time. This has been a devastating season and one that has broken all of our hearts. Praying for strength, peace, and comfort for all those grieving. We are grieving alongside you.

Safety measures continue to be in place and the best infection control practices are being reinforced to ensure meticulous use of PPE including gloves, masks, eye protection and, where necessary, gowns. Physical distancing is expected with 100% compliance. Supervisors are continuously auditing staff’s performance of the infection control safety procedures. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the health and well-being of the residents and staff at Tabor Home and across our Village.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Families and tenants who can provide consent are being invited to sign consent forms for the COVID-19 vaccination which is expected soon. Some care homes in Abbotsford are already being vaccinated and it is anticipated that Tabor Village will be offered the vaccine in the coming days or weeks.

Staff member vaccination continues and employees are encouraged to take the vaccine although not mandatory.

Christmas at Tabor
Christmas at Tabor Village was highlighted with stockings stuffed with gifts from the generous Tabor community who sincerely embraced the Christmas spirit. Christmas turkey dinner, roast beef and figgie pudding were featured as holiday menu items and were enjoyed by tenants/residents. Window visits were increased to help reconnect family members with older persons living at Tabor Village. Video conferencing sessions also increased over the Christmas holidays.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the season and are truly grateful for every one of you who helped make Christmas special.

Communication
We continue to aim to improve the customer service experience for seniors living at Tabor Village and are open to receiving feedback on communication in a dignified and respectful way at all times. We will send another e-newsletter communication out on Thursday, December 31.   
Message of Hope with Pastor Ray
In a recent conversation I quoted those famous lines of Charles Dicken’s, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” We joked saying that regarding the year 2020 the line should be: “It was the worst of times. Period!”

Over the months of COVID-19 I have spoken with people in their eighties and nineties about the pandemic, asking them if they could recall any time in their lives that were as difficult. Some who lived in England during WWII, remember running into bomb- shelter during air raids. Others who lived in Canada during WWII recall food rations, and very sparce supplies. Some tell stories from the Great Depression. No one was able to remember the Spanish flu of 1918, a pandemic in which at least 50 million people died.

So, has 2020 truly been the worst of times?

The Bible gives us a perspective of hope when it comes to the tragedies, traumas, and terrors of modern life. Psalm 90:4 says:

“A thousand years in (God’s) sight
    are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

We have an extremely limited view of time. Within the wider scope of eternity, the very real challenges of the past year will seem light and fleeting. This in no way diminishes the real pain and sorrow we feel as we mourn the death of loved ones, or as we may have gone through illness, or persevered through the restrictions of a physically distanced Christmas, but it perhaps can give us perspective. These times are trying. They call for trust in a loving God.

Maybe after COVID-19 we can say:
“It was a testing time; it was a trusting time.”

COVID-19 Information Website
Visit our website for all the COVID-19 news and updates. We post all our communications, surveys, and policies there so there is always a go-to spot for you to find what you're looking for.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
 
Dan Levitt, MSc., CHE
Executive Director
604-859-8715 x 102
Tabor Village | 604.859.8715 | Email | Website

Cheques can be made payable to:
Tabor Home Society
31944 Sunrise Crescent
Abbotsford, BC V2T 1N5