Purple bracelets for informal or family caregivers

If the care team deems it necessary, they can identify you as an informal or family care giver using a purple bracelet.
That bracelet will facilitate your access to the hospital.

• A symptom questionnaire as well as a vaccine passport check will be done at the entrance of every hospital.
• To be authorized to visit a user in a hospital setting, you must have no symptoms or must have recovered from COVID-19. Anyone who meets any of the following criteria will be denied access for visiting, with no exceptions:
  • People exposed to a symptomatic person who lives in the same home, is awaiting a test result, and is considered a person under investigation;
  • People who have been instructed by a public health authority to self-isolate;
  • People who have returned from a trip outside Canada in the past 14 days or as indicated in the federal government guidelines for self-isolation after travel;
  • People testing positive for COVID-19.

There is no longer any restriction on the number of informal or family caregivers to be identified for hospitalized users.
But every person must self-monitor for symptoms and postpone their visit if they have flu-like or contagious disease symptoms:

• Fever (above 38.1ºC oral);
• Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath (dyspnea);
• Cough (new or worsened);
• Runny nose or nasal congestion from an unknown cause;
• Sore throat;
• Sudden loss of the sense of smell (without nasal congestion) with or without loss of taste;
• Headaches;
• Abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Visiting access will be denied to the following people*:

• People exposed to a symptomatic person who lives in the same home, is awaiting a test result, and is considered a person under investigation;
• People who have been instructed by a public health authority to self-isolate;
• People who have returned from a trip outside Canada in the past 14 days or as indicated in the federal government guidelines for self-isolation after travel;
• People testing positive for COVID-19.

* With the exception of parents of minors, or a person accompanying a pregnant woman. For loved ones of a user in palliative care or other humanitarian reason, an assessment with the care team and IPC is necessary.

Infection prevention and control instructions to follow

• Practice two-metre physical distancing between people.
• Perform hand hygiene. Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Repeat the process when leaving the establishment, and when entering and leaving the user’s room. You must also wash your hands after touching your mask.
• Correctly wear a procedure mask starting when you enter the establishment, and wear it for your entire visit. The procedure mask is single-use only.
• Use the protective equipment properly according to the instructions issued by the care team.
• Wear clean clothes, and change your clothes when you get home and then wash them (regular laundry).
• Limit movements inside and outside the hospital.
• Keep movements outside your home to a maximum, apart from trips to the hospital.
• Move around at the hospital just to go to the room or care unit, and vice versa.
• Stay in the accompanied person’s room.
• Do not offer assistance to other users who share the room.
• Never use the hospital’s common areas.
• Avoid all contact closer than two metres from the staff and other informal and family caregivers.

More than one informal or family caregiver can provide significant assistance and support.
But only one informal or family caregiver attends to one user at a time.

Alternative arrangements can be made as per the local infection prevention directives or those from public health.

You have contracted COVID-19 or are visiting a user who has COVID-19

• If you tested positive for COVID, or if you are in contact with a person who is confirmed positive, you must wait 10 days before returning to one of our facilities as an informal or family caregiver.
• For visiting users who have contracted COVID-19, please follow the health guidelines outlined in the following video [in French]:
  Dressing and undressing procedure for extra precaution

Read this government website for more information about such things as:
the measures in effect, COVID testing, the vaccination passport, vaccination appointments, as well as details on the current situation in Quebec, and more.