The first case of COVID-19 was reported in North America in January 2020. This worldwide pandemic has infected more than 20 million people and killed more than 800,000. The virus is indiscriminate, and there has been no escaping it.
While countries, cities and institutions have been unable to stop the virus, some have been able to mitigate the spread by taking cautionary measures and working with public health officials.
Since seniors are among the most vulnerable population, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of all deaths in Canada, seniors’ residences and long-terms care homes are working diligently to keep their residents safe.
LYNN VALLEY CARE CENTRE
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was visibly shaken when she announced the first COVID-19 outbreak in a long-term care home in Canada in March.
The Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver had the worst seniors’ home outbreak in BC and recorded Canada’s first COVID-19 death, a male resident who succumbed to the virus on March 8.
While the outbreak was taking place, other seniors’ residences and long-term care homes began developing safety strategies. Their efforts, combined with those of the province, meant many residences were able to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 with a range of success.
BRIA COMMUNITIES
Bria Communities is a seniors’ community consisting of four residences: Magnolia Gardens, Sunridge Gardens in Langley, The Waterford and The Wexford in Tsawwassen. As well, Magnolia Gardens and The Waterford also have long-term care centres. Altogether, Bria has a little over 500 residents.
Bria is one of the lucky senior communities as they have been COVID-19-free. Janice Miller, a Marketing Partner for Bria, explains the precautions they’ve taken to mitigate the virus.
“We are eager to ensure the safety and health of our residents and staff and are working hard towards that end, says Miller. “In our long-term care centres, we continue to meticulously follow the provincial government’s guidelines with regards to single-site staffing, PPE, cleaning protocols, visiting guidelines, active monitoring of employees and residents, regular communication with staff about community transmission, on-site hand hygiene audits and staff safety huddles throughout the day. Before COVID-19, we were in compliance with the provincial licensing board and will continue to do everything necessary to remain so.”
In early March, the Bria leadership team sent the first communications to their staff, residents and family members regarding COVID-19. That same week, they began a health screening process for guests, increased cleaning protocols in their buildings and limited large gatherings of residents. Staff were prepared, as during any flu season, with outbreak protocols should the need arise.
Less than a week later, Bria cancelled all recreation activities, and their dining rooms were closed. Many residents were cautiously self-isolating. At this time, Bria began serving all meals through room service and were screening guests and services in the buildings.
By mid-March, Bria Care Centres were closed to all visitors. At the same time, their independent living communities were only welcoming essential visitors who passed the screening process.
“Even as we’ve been able to welcome guests into our long-term care centres this summer, we have remained on high alert,” says Miller. “Our staff are ready to return to the highest safety protocols the moment it is necessary. The same is true in our independent living communities; many safety practices have remained in place – practising safe social distancing, limiting the size of gatherings; and ensuring good hand hygiene.”
“We have restocked PPE, installed digital health assessment tools at reception desks, and increased hand sanitization stations throughout our buildings. Like everyone else, we are watching the daily case counts and waiting to see what happens next. Our staff, residents and their family members have worked hard over the past six months to keep each other safe, and I think we are not just capable of surviving a second wave, but also thriving as we weather the storm.”
BERWICK RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
Berwick, with seven residences in BC (Campbell River, Comox/Courtenay, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach and two in Victoria) has been vigilant in implementing the necessary policies and procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of residents and employees. Near the end of March, Berwick by the Sea in Campbell River was quarantined after a resident fell ill with COVID-19. Immediately, all residents were isolated in their suites, including the infected senior.
Berwick spokesperson Lesley Sikorski explained how Berwick treated its one and only COVID-19 case.
“Residents had already been practising social-distancing protocols and were not congregating in common areas, like dining rooms, to prevent COVID-19 clusters, such as those occurring in seniors care homes elsewhere in BC,” says Sikorski. “That put us in a very good position to help mitigate the further spread of this virus. An isolation team with personal protective equipment is now solely responsible for delivering food and responding to the residents to limit any crossover in staff and stem transmission of the virus.”
“We don’t rotate workers across sites, so transmission from staff moving from one residence to another is not an issue. We take every step possible to ensure the virus is contained. The health and safety of our residents and staff is a top priority for Berwick. We are working rigorously around the clock with Island Health to control and contain the virus and are communicating daily with the Communicable Disease Nurse.”
In terms of letting friends, family and entertainment into the facility Sikorski described how they have utilized technology.
“We have done whatever we can to help facilitate virtual visits utilizing technology. We have built infrastructure pieces to help facilitate patio visits (for example, moveable plexiglass barriers) and have reserved a hospitality suite in every one of our communities to allow for person-to-person visits where we have the ability to disinfect after every visit.”
“Our active living teams have been adding additional daily activities to the calendar and creating activities that people can do in their suites. We have also started streaming exercise classes. We’ve started hosting zoom resident meetings (as well as family meetings) and virtually hosting our entertainment and speakers to keep our residents engaged. We have also introduced cohort dining to enable our residents to be able to dine in the dining room, but with the same people daily in the bubble size as directed by our PHO.”
Can retirement residences and long-term care facilities stop a potential second wave from affecting senior communities as hard as the first wave? It would seem Bria and Berwick are both in great shape, and as other residences across the province follow similar protocols, perhaps a second wave can be minimized.
Berwick by the Sea in Campbell River, where Berwick’s one case of COVID-19 was discovered and isolated, has been all clear since late April.
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