Visiting an aged care home during an outbreak of infectious viruses such as COVID, Gastroenteritis or Influenza has several health risks to residents, staff and visitors.

If you are visiting a loved one during an outbreak, including someone who has COVID, we encourage you to get familiar with the Partners in Care program procedures that help you to understand and teach you good infection control practices.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have 2 short educational courses that you can access online:

• Visiting Essentials During an Infectious Outbreak and,

• Visiting Essentials for Partners in Care

If you or any family or friends plan to visit a resident during an outbreak, you should take a look at the above information and also to share it with other potential visitors.

By having a good understanding of infection control measures, tools and procedures, you will be helping to reduce the spread of infection in an aged care facility to yourself, residents and staff.