While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, the restrictions associated with the virus are being loosened, and will soon be virtually gone.
The Estevan Regional Nursing Home (ERNH) has not had a single case among its staff members or its 56 residents since the pandemic started in March 2020.
Kelsey Hagel, the nursing supervisor at the ERNH, said like with all long-term care facilities, the past 15 months have been very difficult for the (ERNH) residents.
“Our staff is very exceptional at providing care and support, but nothing replaces the loving embrace of a family member, a close friend. I’ll say the increase in family presence in long-term care homes across the province is very much welcomed and needed, with residents having the ability to go for drives with loved ones and having supper in the family home, that’s also been welcomed,” she said.
Physical interaction with loved ones is vital to overall well-being, she said. This is especially crucial for long-term residents, as nursing home living can be difficult under normal circumstances.
There is a sense of pride in getting to this stage of the pandemic without having a single case of the virus, she said.
Throughout the pandemic, work standards and policies have been developed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), which include directives focused on screening staff and visitors, testing and visiting, which can all be found online.
Current public health orders continue to be followed, including proper social distancing, masking and proper hand hygiene, Hagel said. Point of care testing has been an important tool for preventing potential spread of infection.
“SHA homes are all networks,” said Hagel. “So we all communicate regularly, and we’ve learned very much from each other’s challenges and successes during the pandemic.”
Staff members have taken note of the risk of exposure.
“We do monitor closely our residents, if there’s any respiratory symptoms that we note going on with certain residents in the home, we pay close attention to that, and we act accordingly, making sure that we isolate and that everybody else in the building is kept safe,” said Hagel.
Residents received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in late February, when the vaccine was first administered in the Estevan area, and they received their second dose on April 7. Hagel said the process was very well-organized and smooth, and it was facilitated by public health nurses, who were a lot of help.
The nursing home has been able to have some social activities in the past 15 months. Those activities look very different in terms of size and social distancing, but they have been important to continue in some fashion.
“There’s incredible value to socialization as it relates to overall wellbeing, especially during the period where physical family presence was lacking. Our staff really stepped up in getting creative and coming up with different activities to do.”
The dining room has had to look different for social distancing when it comes to meals. Since the nursing home is a fairly old building, spacing is limited. Some of their extra rooms have become dining areas in the past few months.
Each resident may have up to four visitors at one time indoors and nine outdoors. Visiting isn’t limited based on vaccination status for residents or visitors, and anyone can visit a loved one, as long as they test positive at the door, and following existing health orders.
