Letter from Our President

Letter from Our President

Dear Family Members of Residents at Robert Nimi Nikkei Home,

The outbreak and spread of Coronavirus throughout the world has forced changes on the way we lead our lives. We are living in very difficult times. Controlling the spread of the Coronavirus is imposing severe restrictions on our freedom and activities, and they are extremely stressful. This is particularly true for those of you who have family members who, by virtue of their age and physical frailties, are the most vulnerable. On behalf of the Board and Staff of Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society, I want you to know that we share your concern. The health and safety of our seniors and their community is not only our top priority, we recognize it as our responsibility, and we take that responsibility very seriously. 

As you are aware, in accordance with Provincial health guidelines, our Executive Director, Cathy Makihara, and staff have instituted a number of measures to protect your loved ones. Some of the actions that have been taken are as follows: 

• sanitation measures at both Robert Nimi Nikkei Home and New Sakura-so, including regular wiping down areas that are frequently touched, have been increased; 
• residents of Robert Nimi Nikkei Home are given assistance in personal control measures, such as hand washing, use at of sanitizers, and adhering to social distancing, particularly when using elevators and mealtimes 
• making social isolation a little less stressful by developing activities for residents to undertake within their own suites 
• cancellation of all Outreach Programs and volunteer assistance, thus limiting the opportunities for the virus to enter the Home 
• further limitation of opportunities for the virus to enter the Home by restricting visitation by friends and family member to those residents who are critically ill as identified by a medical practitioner 
• closure of Hi Genki Restaurant to the general public 
• development of guidelines for families who need to take their loved ones out for medical appointments and following isolation procedures as needed 

Further details can be seen at seniors.nikkeiplace.org 

These measures may seem extreme, and the limitation of your visits particularly hard, but they are needed to protect the health and safety of your loved ones. 

Needless to say, ensuring the health and safety of your family members at Robert Nimi Nikkei Home, and New Sakura-so, has placed additional workload and stress on our staff, 

but they have been responding to the challenge . They are competent, caring professionals to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude at this most difficult of times. 

Please support your loved ones in whatever way you can. Ensuring that they have adequate supplies of hand sanitizers, toilet paper, Kleenex and other essential items go a long way to protecting their physical well-being. And daily telephone calls and/or FaceTime if your loved one has use an iPad help overcome feelings of social isolation. 

In closing, I would like to say that the proactive steps taken by Cathy Makihara, Gina Hall, Tara Pagnataro, Yoko Watase and the staff are contributing to keeping your loved ones safe and healthy, and we trust that the continuation of these measures will continue to do so by keeping their environment free of the Coronavirus. 

To all of you, please look after yourselves, and the rest of your family, and we look forward to the day, in the not too distant future, when we can return to our regular routines without fear or anxiety. 

Ruth Coles, President
Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society