ACTIONMARGUERITE | COVID-19 Update #13 – January 25, 2022

January 25, 2022

Dear Actionmarguerite Families,

COVID-19 Update #13 – January 25, 2022

Actionmarguerite St. Boniface, Actionmarguerite St. Joseph, Actionmarguerite St. Vital

It has now been a month since the first outbreak was declared at Actionmarguerite. Sustaining our efforts remains our focus and it has been encouraging to see the many people we support being deemed recovered from COVID-19. We have also been buoyed by the presence of family members who have returned to be present and offer the care and comfort that only a loved one can provide.

In this update, you will find the current outbreak status and a summary of the virtual family meetings held last week.

Outbreak status

Actionmarguerite St. Boniface

  • Outbreaks are active on all units.
  • Three (3) deaths have been linked to the outbreaks.
  • Fifty-six (56) residents have been deemed recovered.
  • No additional residents have tested positive for a total of twenty-seven (27) active cases.
  • Seventy-six (76) staff members have tested positive, and seventy-two (72) of them have since recovered.

Actionmarguerite St. Vital

  • Two (2) units have active outbreaks (2nd floor & 3rd floor).
  • One (1) death has been linked to an outbreak.
  • Twenty-four (24) residents have been deemed recovered.
  • No additional residents have tested positive for a total of five (5) active cases.
  • Twenty-four (24) staff members have tested positive (one was added in error in the last update), and twenty-four (24) of them have since recovered.

Actionmarguerite St. Joseph

  • One (1) unit has an active outbreak (1st floor).
  • One (1) death has been linked to the outbreak.
  • Three (3) residents have been deemed recovered.
  • No additional residents have tested positive for a total of thirteen (13) active cases.
  • Twenty-five (25) staff members have tested positive, and nineteen (19) have since recovered.

Last week, we held two (2) virtual family forums, attended by more than 50 family members. As partners in care, we thank you for your presence. If you weren’t able to join us, we are providing the following summary:

Broader Context

In Winnipeg, 34 of the 39 personal care homes have declared outbreaks. Although early indications would suggest a possible slowing down of transmission in the community, it is too soon to tell how or if the return to school for children will have an impact on transmission of the virus in the community. Also, our colleagues in acute care have not yet seen the peak of hospitalizations and ICU admissions. For the long-term care sector, this means that the system will require homes to discern how to safely admit persons who are paneled and waiting in a hospital bed.

Resident Care

  • The majority of residents who have COVID-19 continue for the most part to have mild symptoms and many who test positive are asymptomatic.
  • We were able to answer questions related to the isolation period. To discontinue isolation for a resident who is COVID-19 positive, 10 days from symptom onset and 72 hours while asymptomatic must have passed, whichever is longer.
  • Isolation and quarantine guidelines continue to be reassessed to strike a balance between protecting the people we support from the virus and ensuring quality of life.
  • Our recreation and spiritual care teams have been adjusting their programming to ensure one-on-one activities and virtual means of engaging the people we support.

Communication with families

  • Family members continue to appreciate the virtual family forums and the regular updates shared through email.
  • It was mentioned that it can be difficult to reach the care team by phone, which families recognized as part of the challenges of these times. Another option to reach our team is by sending an email to info@actionmarguerite.ca.  Your message will be forwarded to the person best suited to respond.

Phone and Virtual Visits

  • Families expressed appreciation for these types of visits and also discussed some adjustments needed to ensure that they are as beneficial as possible, such as making them available later into the evening.
  • A reminder to families that there is availability for scheduling a phone or virtual visit. If you wish to do so, please do not hesitate to reach out as follows:

Staffing

  • Staffing continues to be assessed day-by-day, and the situation can change rapidly. As mentioned previously, we are unsure what the return to school will mean for transmission of the virus and how it will affect our staff who are parents. We are monitoring this closely. For the most part, we are able to staff to baseline. Should there be a need to work short, our care teams are aware of the adapted routines that have been developed for use in this situation.
  • Addressing our staffing challenges means that staff continue to pick-up extra shifts and overtime is assigned. We are extremely grateful for their ongoing commitment.
  • Agency nurses are hired to cover shifts when necessary.  We have also reassigned Actionmarguerite staff from other departments to where the needs are greatest.
  • Nursing students have returned on-site and are supporting our efforts as well. Staff have also been redeployed from community health to personal care homes. Actionmarguerite has benefited from this redeployment.

Reintegration of designated family caregivers (essential visitors)

  • On January 14, we began to implement measures to begin the safe return of designated family caregivers willing to assist with the care of their loved one.
  • We clarified that a designated family caregiver is someone who can help with feeding, mobility, personal hygiene, cognitive stimulation, communication, meaningful connection, relational continuity, and/or assistance in decision-making.
  • At this time, designated family caregivers are providing assistance to their loved one in their own space. We have not yet had to ask them to lend a hand with other residents.
  • We were able to clarify that showing one’s vaccination card at each visit continues to be required. The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) prevents us from keeping a record of a family member’s personal health information.
  • Should a family member want to assist with the environmental cleaning of their loved one’s room, we discussed the possibility of making wipes available.
  • At this time, we are uncertain as to when general visits will resume. It will depend on the level of transmission within the community and the status of our outbreaks in long-term care.
  • We continue to take the names of designated family caregivers (essential visitors) who are willing to return knowing the risks involved. Please send your name and contact information to our team:

Personal Protective Equipment and Hand Hygiene

  • We were able to clarify that Shared Health has directed family members who enter our homes with a KN95 mask to also wear a medical mask over top of the KN95. It ensures the protection needed, as KN95s are typically not fit-tested to an individual whereas the N95 masks that our staff wear have been fit tested to their individual needs.
  • Family members also asked that our screening team be vigilant about asking family members to practice hand hygiene upon entry.

Expressions of gratitude go out to each of you for your continued understanding, support and for trusting in the people of Actionmarguerite during these times.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach us at info@actionmarguerite.ca.

In a spirit of unity and solidarity,

Micheline St-Hilaire, Chief Executive Officer & the entire Actionmarguerite Team