Stuart Peddle
The Chronicle Herald
@Guylafur
Leaders at Northwood's long-term care provided an update on how visitation will go as the Halifax facility transitions from an active COVID-19 outbreak.
CEO Janet Simm and Josie Ryan, executive director of long-term care, also touched on lessons learned and plans to continue to keep residents safe during an online teleconference with media on Friday.
There continues to be no active cases at the Halifax campus, where 53 residents died during the pandemic.
“We have over 200 residents who have never tested positive for COVID-19, so we will continue to be very vigilant,” Simm said.
She said some residents have been able to have outdoor visits with each other, supported by staff, and everyone looks forward to family visits starting Monday.
“Families will receive written information outlining the detailed outdoor visitation processes along with reminders of proper social distancing and use of a mask when visiting,” Simm said.
“We're asking that everyone please be patient as we will be communicating directly with families and substitute decision-makers via email or phone.”
There will be a limit of two visitors per resident at one time for up to 30 minutes, Simm said. There are two outdoor spaces available, a deck and a courtyard. There will be a limit of three residents and their families at a time and spaces will be marked to maintain physical distancing. Visits will be scheduled seven days a week.
“We expect to have eight family visits the first day and increasing those visits over time.”
The visits must be scheduled in advance. There can be no drop-ins.
Visitors must wait in their car until close to the scheduled time and they will be met by a screener who will ask questions about their well-being. They will also have their temperatures taken and will be asked to sanitize their hands and phones.
Masks must be worn and visitors will be accompanied by staff to the visiting area. Touching will be prohibited.
Visitors will be also be asked to disinfect their hands before leaving.
Simm said they are actively planning for a time when Northwood can bring back services like their hair salon and volunteer services when Public Health allows.
Residents who have been staying at a recovery unit at a local hotel have begun to return and are scheduled to gradually do so over the next couple of weeks.
Ryan said the biggest lessons learned over the course of the outbreak relate to the virus itself: the symptoms, incubation period and how to work through that to keep residents safe.
“We know so much more now,” Ryan said. “We've also been able to create more private rooms, we've been able to decrease the size of the units. Also education, so we're focusing on all the lessons learned as far as infection control. We'll be doing infection control education all summer, all along. Our screening will continue.”
Protocols will continue to be in place throughout the fall, including a policy of universal masking, in anticipation of a possible second wave.
Ryan said they are down to about 30 rooms that are shared and hope to reduce that to about 12 so that by the fall, almost all residents who wish it will have private rooms.
Simm said there were about 108 shared rooms before the outbreak, adding that some residents want to continue to share.
“We will always maintain some of our semi-private rooms to accommodate couples and those people who want to have a roommate,” she said.
“Currently, we do not have enough vacancies to create all private rooms, however. We have been working with residents and families in our resettling plan. As vacancies occur, we will continue to create private rooms.”
There are 394 residents at the facility now.
