Schools and restaurants aren’t the only ones dealing with restrictions in accordance with the coronavirus, as nursing homes are dealing with restrictions of their own.
Timbercrest Senior Living, North Manchester; Grace Village, Winona Lake; Miller’s Health Systems Inc.; and Trilogy Health Services, the parent company of Paddock Springs in Warsaw; all said they are following given guidelines.
Timbercrest is following the recommendations given by the Indiana State Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Timbercrest CEO Stanley Noffsinger said. A resident at Timbercrest was tested for the coronavirus Tuesday and the test results take a few days to return.
“The CDC and ISDH have been our primary sources for information and direction since the crisis began. They send bulletins and updates and we monitor their websites throughout the day. We also consult with our medical director. We work hard to implement their guidance as quickly as possible,” said Kevin McKeever, director of operations at Grace Village. Currently, Grace Village has no cases of COVID-19.
“Additionally, (Trilogy Health Services) are providing our employees, residents, visitors and vendors with ongoing education regarding proper hygiene practices. This includes heightened awareness about the importance of hand-washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette and the frequent sanitizing of all surfaces,” according to a press release from Trilogy Health Services about what they’re doing in regard to the coronavirus. “We understand that we care for our country’s most vulnerable population, and we are committed to ensuring their health and happiness. Every member of our campus team is dedicated to this mission, and we will always operate with our residents’ best interests at heart.”
Miller’s Merry Manor is also following the daily updates and directives, as well as taking other actions.
“Our corporate quality assurance nurses and risk managers are actively helping facility leadership around our company to implement these directives and to educate our facility staff on the best ways to protect our patients and staff,” said Patrick Boyle, president/CEO, Miller's Health Systems Inc. “Our corporate consultants from all disciplines are focusing much of their visits to our buildings on infection control and compliance with the recommendations we have received.
One example Noffsinger gave was Timbercrest is not open for visitation as of early last week, which was recommended by CMS.
Grace Village is also restricting visitors.
“Only staff and essential medical providers may enter the facility and they must be screened before working. There is an exception for visitors who have a loved one in an end-of-life situation, but they still must be screened and don personal protective equipment. We cannot admit any visitors under the age of 18. And no one is admitted who has signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat. Proper hand hygiene is critical and required. We have ceased all group activities and communal dining, so meals are delivered directly to residents’ rooms and activities are conducted one-on-one. We are frequently reminding staff to practice standard precautions and educating them specifically on what is known about COVID-19. Our Environmental Services staff are working overtime to disinfect surfaces repeatedly throughout the day,” McKeever said.
“As a provider, we receive updates on a daily basis,” Noffsinger said. As recommendations change, Noffsinger said Timbercrest changes what they’re doing to abide by the recommendations.
“We know this is a challenging time for everyone, especially for our patients and their families. Families are using personal iPads, iPhones and Chromebooks to communicate with their family members and we are posting updates on our facility webpage (www.millersmerrymanor.com),” said Boyle.
“Infection control is a high priority for Grace Village under normal circumstances, but the grave threat to our residents and staff posed by this latest coronavirus has necessitated a whole new level of infection control efforts,” McKeever said.
Timbercrest is continuing routine care and the quality of care has not decreased, he said.
Noffsinger said due to the fact Timbercrest residents are in one of the age groups at higher risk, Timbercrest is extremely concerned and employees are being vigilant and trying to keep the environment as clean as possible.
McKeever spoke on the effect the restrictions are having on the residents.
“Of course, residents are disappointed that they are unable to interact with their loved ones in person and they are bored because of the lack of social interaction with others since they can't dine together or participate in group activities,” he said. “But so far, they are tolerating those conditions surprisingly well and we are not observing any detrimental effects. They are definitely watching more TV than usual and spending more time on the telephone.
