Valley Manor coping well with pandemic

During an interview with The Current yesterday, Trish Sammon, CEO of Valley Manor Long Term Care in Barry’s Bay, stated,  “We know how alarming it is to see the TV news or hear on the radio about other homes in Ontario.” However, she was at pains to reassure the public, saying, “I just want to ensure that our community knows that all of our staff are very well-trained. They have stepped up and risen to the occasion to take care of all of your loved ones in the community. We remain one of the safest homes in Eastern Ontario and we are working our hardest to make sure that COVID-19 does not enter our home. I’m confident that we will make that happen.”

Negative test results

Early on, Valley Manor implemented mandatory screening for staff at a single entry and exit door at the beginning and end of each shift. Anyone who fails the screening in any way (including potential exposure to a source of infection) is sent off for 14 days self-isolation. They arrange for testing through their doctor, health unit or Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre.

Valley Manor itself has sufficient test kits on site so staff can take residents’ tests in-house and then send them away for results. If residents show any symptoms they are isolated and tested. Sammon was pleased to report that, “So far we have had negative test results for all of our staff and negative tests for all of our residents. The only “bug” that has come into our facility is Influenza B.”  Turnaround time for COVID-19 test results has decreased from about a week in the early stages of the pandemic to just 24 hours.

Communication is key

Sammon said that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Valley Manor team has been adamant about maintaining communication with the families and the residents. Because of the restrictions, the Manor now sends weekly letters to families. Inside the home where the residents can no longer gather for meetings, they receive Valley Manor communications by letter via the Residents Council. She said, “We keep everybody well-versed on what’s happening.”

As well as phone calls and letters from outside the facility, Activities Director Lisa Yantha and team organize up to ten Skype or Facetime calls per day between residents and family members. Sometimes families come to the front foyer window and a member of the Activities team brings the resident to the foyer to speak to them by phone while watching through the window. Sammon said that Yantha recently arranged a “huge morale boost” for staff and residents when Fr. Pavel Ratajczak of St. Hedwig’s Parish gave blessings through the window for everyone, a few at a time, correctly distanced. See above. Photo Lisa Yantha

Sammon said communication flows very well on every level across the healthcare system. She participates in about five conference calls daily with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, AdvantAge Ontario, Public Health, Bass Associates (legal representation with the unions) on all relevant issues such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). She says any new directives or policies are implemented right away at Valley Manor.

Staff observe physical distancing at meeting: Colleen Kobylka, Tara Carpenter, Rebecca Brown, Marilyn Glofcheskie, Amanda Pinto, Melissa Neumann, Martin Yaraskavitch, Trisha Sammon, Gail Yantha and Tammy Pecarski. Photo Lisa Yantha

Programs for residents keep morale high

Valley Manor programming has adapted to COVID-19 restrictions. The pen pal program is well received, like the live phone calls and video chats, plus Activities staff are emphasizing in-room activities such as puzzles. Even bingo games continue, with staff taking the numbers to the residents. Production of a residents’ Bill of Rights video for educational purposes is underway with residents being filmed individually. Staff bring video greetings and messages from home, and record videos to send to the families.

Staffing numbers in good shape

Sammon explained that Valley Manor is in a good position with an increased staffing pool. A new government directive has just permitted sharing of staff with hospitals, but she said, “We’re not there yet.” To date the Manor has recalled some retired staff, and even before the Ministry ordered that employees could only work at one long term care facility, Valley Manor required its employees to choose only one job. She said the majority stayed with the Manor. The facility also utilizes an outsource company whose staff are committed to Valley Manor only and do not go to other homes.

She said, “It has been a huge educational piece for many people in the home and the staff…. I worked through SARS in a hospital when it happened and that was quite scary too, but I think we have taken a lot of the lessons learned from SARS and applied it to this, with additional precautions.” For example, Sammon explained that Valley Manor required mandatory screening in January before it became a Ministry directive and they designated environmental staff for infection control to clean high-touch areas every 60 to 90 minutes.

Biggest challenge

Sammon said a big challenge is ensuring that everybody has appropriate numbers of PPE to get through their shift. They have distributed and locked the PPE, rationing the number of items for each member of staff depending on the length of their shift. Currently there are enough gowns, gloves, masks and face shields to take care of all staff and residents, but they constantly monitor the situation and work closely with County and Provincial government to ensure they will have all the supplies they need.

Ongoing projects

Staff had just completed their training on Clinical Viewer and were ready to go live with the new electronic health information system when the COVID-19 outbreak began, so that has been deferred. The Valley Manor redevelopment project progresses in the background and Sammon explained, “I feel that this realization — of how much help long term care homes need — may provide some additional fuel to move our project forward more quickly.”

Fr. Pavel Ratajczak blesses staff through Valley Manor window. Photo Lisa Yantha

Praise for staff and community

Sammon praised the Valley Manor team: “Our front line staff are just so deserving of recognition through all of this. They’ve been very co-operative and have followed all the processes. They have come in to help us put boots on the ground and make sure that Valley Manor is protected in every way.”

She commended community members who donated nearly 400 hand-sewn masks and said that Manor staff appreciate their handiwork. Not yet government-approved as a single point of protection, the Valley Manor team use them as an extra precautionary measure on top of the disposable masks. “It’s so heartwarming to see how the community just wraps their arms around healthcare and just wants to contribute in any way they can.”