Extendicare Family Members Letter from President & CEO, Dr. Michael Guerriere

April 21, 2020

Dear Family Members and Loved Ones of Extendicare Residents,

I am writing at what I know is an exceptionally difficult time for you and your family.

First and foremost, I want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to protect your loved one in our homes.

Our focus is to continue delivering the high‐quality care that our residents and their families expect of us while we help our communities through the COVID‐19 crisis. Maintaining the health of the people who live in our homes, and the people who deliver their care, is the most important priority for Extendicare.

As I’m sure you know from daily news coverage, long‐term care homes are now on the front line in the fight to control this virus.

The early action that we took, including the hard decision to stop visits by family members, helped to protect your loved one and other residents of our homes during the first weeks of the pandemic.

But there are difficult times ahead. You have my commitment, and that of every member of the Extendicare team, that we will do everything humanly possible to protect those in our care. Our employees, many of whom you know well, are sharing the risk and working long hours to care for our residents. I could not be more proud of their courage and dedication.

While I cannot say that we have turned the corner, I do want to share some updates from our team:

 Four of our homes that experienced outbreaks have now been declared virus free.

 We have increased symptom screening and temperature monitoring – twice daily for staff and more often for residents.

 We have implemented a policy requiring all of our employees to wear masks to help prevent the spread of this highly

infectious virus.

 We have a team of infection prevention experts who have made a real difference in limiting outbreaks in our homes.

 We continue to work with public health officials to increase testing at our homes, which is key to containing this virus. More tests are being conducted every day and will continue to increase.

We are also doing what we can to help our residents both physically and mentally. We are working to enable video calls and more phone calls to connect families whenever possible.

We know that these cannot fully substitute for the loss of personal contact, a hug or a kiss. It is our fervent hope that you will be able to do this again soon, but we have to wait for public health authorities to tell us when we can safely relax the restrictions that are in place.

In the meantime, please know that all of us at Extendicare are fully committed to caring for your loved one and keeping them safe.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this trying time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our dedicated COVID‐19 response line at 1‐888‐746‐5511.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Guerriere

President and Chief Executive Officer