COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out to Residential Aged Care Residents and Staff

With the Federal Government’s announcement of the COVID-vaccine roll-out program, we have, this week commenced our planning and preparedness as Tier 1 priority recipients of the vaccine. We have, at the time of writing, not yet received a date and time. However, we have been informing our residents of the vaccine roll-out program via the Department of Health and advocacy bodies such as the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN).

We aim to equip residents, resident relatives and our staff with as much information to exercise choice and provide informed consent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Where a resident is unable, the resident’s Power of Attorney (POA) has been contacted to discuss and provide consent on their behalf. It is important for all residents and POAs to seek advice from their GPs if any concerns arise about your resident’s health and medical history in relation to getting the vaccine.

The Department of Health provides resources for aged care residents and resident families including responses to frequently asked questions about the Pfizer Vaccine, what to expect and side effects which may occur.

Information and resources from the Department of Health are available in multiple languages.

Residents will continue to be informed of the roll-out as information comes to light. For resident relatives, we will provide updated information via our weekly emails and SMS.

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) Webinar of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Last week, OPAN – the National Body of older persons, hosted a 1-hour webinar: Vaccines What You Need to Know. Next week, Tuesday 22nd February it will host a follow-up webinar on Informed Consent. This webinar is available to residents and relatives and we encourage you to register for this online event.