[ad_1]
TORONTO – Ontario long-term care home continues to withstand the pandemic without a single COVID-19 case.
As long-term care homes continue to struggle with the second wave of COVID-19, the Mariann Home in Richmond Hill, Ontario. so far it has weathered the pandemic without a single case of COVID-19, which families and staff attribute to a series of security measures taken earlier this year.
“I attest to this through communication and due diligence from our people,” said Bernanrd Boreland, CEO and CEO of Mariann Home. “The policies and procedures that the government launched I looked into and in all honesty I was not satisfied and made improvements.”
As Ontario allowed essential visitors to return to long-term care homes, Boreland has initiated stricter measures, requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test within seven days of their visit.
“The way it’s set up in the government, families just have to attest – we know people don’t always tell the truth and my job is to protect our elders, so I’ve put that policy in place that they have to show us evidence of a test. COVID. “
The home has gone a step further by offering families the option of a test drive-in outside the nursing home, which is performed by the care director.
“Because I have certain procedures in place, I wanted to make things easier for families, which is why I offered a test drive-in center, which is available to all families participating in our COVID testing program,” he said. . “Asking for these tests puts the minds of our families and residents at ease.”
Tours must be booked in advance and are limited to one hour only. Once inside, families are instructed on safety protocols, are not allowed to move around the facility and must always wear personal protective equipment.
Boreland spent tens of thousands of dollars on personal protective equipment (PPE), which began accumulating stocks in mid-January before Ontario registered its first positive case. Extra funds were used to purchase the PPE, which the house now has enough to provide staff until February.
At the start of the pandemic, employees had to commit to working only in the 64-bed nursing home and were screened for symptoms every two weeks. The screening is now done weekly.
The staff is also divided into cohorts, so they take care of the same residents in the same unit at all times.
Residents are checked for symptoms three times a day at the start of each shift. This includes a temperature control, which according to Boreland is more than ministerial standards.
“If there are one or two symptoms from the resident, they are immediately buffered and we put them in solitary confinement until there is a negative result,” said Erly Valera, the home care director.
Boreland holds regular conference calls with family members to keep them updated on enhanced security policies and measures.
“All of our staff and families are grateful,” he said.
Michael Gregory’s mother-in-law has been residing at the home for four years and commends the staff for how they have handled the pandemic thus far.
“At her age, she is the most vulnerable,” Gregory said. “We have all the confidence that you are in good hands and we don’t worry anymore.”
Concerned about the potential exposure of employees outside the home, additional PPE is provided to staff in transit and a grocery ordering program continues to be offered to avoid staff having to travel to crowded public places.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
