A circle of Alberta relatives raises policy considerations at the Good Samaritan Southgate Care Center, where an outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared. The circle of relatives says the site is not transparent enough with citizens about the seriousness of the situation.
The outbreak was first declared on June 13; According to the facility, on Thursday morning, 54, or about 30%, of the 184 citizens have active instances of COVID-19 and 21 citizens have died.
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Dee’s father is just over 60 years old, has lived in Good Samaritan Southgate for 3 years and suffers from leukemia. Global News agreed not to publish Dee’s last name or identify her father, as her father may have repercussions on the long-term care home because she is speaking.
Dee said she was incredibly involved when the infirmary first reported an outbreak.
“It’s overwhelming, ” he said.
His father had the coronavirus test 3 times in 4 weeks, Dee said. It has tested negative for the virus every single time.
“I’m incredibly worried. I think you’re getting to a point where you have to realize that there are certain things that you can’t and that your circle of family members is the livelihood of members, and in my case, my father, who is my only father, is in the hands of other people and his ability to protect him.
Dee said her father told her she was still moving to the site in her wheelchair. He fears that his father will come into contact with an infected surface or object.
It also implies that citizens themselves may not be informed of the seriousness of the situation; Dee said he read to his father the latest statistics posted through the school on his online page.
“They live in the dark. They don’t know how many other people on their field have a COVID. They don’t know how many nurses who can just paint with them in this field are positive. They’re in the dark,” she says. .
The Good Samaritan Society had in the past told Global News that staff were dressed in adequate non-public protective equipment, that out-of-home visits had been cancelled, that more staff had been hired, including AHS staff, and that resident movements were limited.
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However, in Dee’s view, the operator is not doing enough to protect residents.
“Regardless of the measures they’ve put in place so far, they obviously work. The numbers are rising. The mortality rate is expanding. The number of inflamed workers is expanding and there is a lot of transparency,” Dee said.
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Dee said the last time she saw her father in January; There were visitation plans in March, but this was cancelled after the COVID-19 pandemic disappeared. Since then, he has only been able to reach him by phone.
Dee said her father also felt beaten and anxious.
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“I hear it, you have witnessed the departure of several bags of frames and this is, of course, a sad reality. But it’s anything that when you face your own mortality and the visualization that comes to you each and every day, it only increases your own anxiety about the situation,” he said.
Dee said her father could see that they were tired and overworked; at the same time, she says he recognizes what’s going on around her.
“He feels he is expecting his result to be positive … In fact, there are days when we hear that this is a no-brainer to him. He has put his end-of-life plans in place in case that happens.” “It’s incredibly complicated as a member of a circle of family members to perceive that this is where your father is,” he said.
In a pre-Global News, Michelle Bonnici, acting president and chief executive officer of the Good Samaritan Society, first stated that citizen movements were limited; On a later-published Wednesday he later said that citizens remain in their rooms or wings and, if they are not sick, are allowed to pass out to get some air.
“Hand hygiene will also have to be done upon return to the nursing home, and the resident is invited to return directly to his room or wing and is informed that he cannot prevent and stop at another person along the way. Residents are encouraged to wear a mask when entering and entering the building,” he said.
Bonnici said that at least weekly letters are sent to residents, but case numbers are included as they are replaced quickly.
However, it turns out that this may change.
“We are willing to work with citizens and families to make sure they have the data they need,” he said.
On Thursday, health medical director Dr. Deena Hinshaw explained why Alberta’s health services did not take over the facility’s operations, as they did with other nursing homes during the pandemic.
“An order to resume operations is a step that is not taken lightly and only occurs when an installation cannot fully comply with the mandatory orders that we have in place. This has not been the case here,” Hinshaw said, explaining that AHS worked strongly with the Good Samaritan Society, offering staff and assembly every day to make sure everything is done to citizens and staff.
“I am sure that all mandatory epidemic protocols are in place. This includes twice-daily screening and temperature controls, generalized testing, and advanced cleaning. It’s a delicate situation, but local officials are doing everything they can for everyone involved.”
Hinshaw Alberta Health will continue to closely monitor the outbreak.
According to Jennifer Zelmer, president and ceo of the Canadian Health Services Improvement Foundation (CFSS), long-term care services have long-standing vulnerabilities.
“Infrastructure issues, multi-bed rooms that are difficult to manage, staff problems, disorders also similar to the way long-term care is connected to other parts of the health care system,” Zelmer said.
Hinshaw intervened on Thursday and said that by continuing care services where there have been significant gaps, one of the emerging non-unusual issues is the challenge of communicating and applying social distance and infection in groups that harbor patients with cognitive impairment or dementia.
“It’s incredibly difficult for them to perceive, because of their cognitive decline, the desire for them to be held and remotely controlled in their room and they can’t move with others,” Hinshaw said.
FCASS recently published a report on how Canada’s long-term care services have reached where they are and what they can do in the long term to ensure resident protection.
These features come with updating infection prevention standards, preventing viruses through tactile detection and search, staffing and staff training, preparing for pandemic reaction and outbreak, patient care, and family circle involvement.
Zelmer said it is now an opportunity to put those policies into force.
“We know more now, so there are things we can put in position now on the basis of this knowledge,” he said.
“We owe it to all those who have been affected. we owe it to them to be informed about these classes and make genuine progress based on what we now know.”