Resthill Memory Care is on high alert to prevent any Covid-19 infection. Let’s take a look at the precautions Resthill is taking to prevent contamination from the dreaded Corona Virus.
Even before the Covid-19 coronavirus invaded one hundred countries, initial info from China – where this outbreak began – showed that the elderly were the worst effected by the virus.
More recent data from Italy, the next worst-affected country, confirms just how dangerous Covid-19 is for the elderly, as well as people with pre-existing heart, lung and immunological conditions.
Alz.org explains that with age, our system’s ability to fight disease weakens and makes new infections both harder to resist and fight.
Most likely, dementia does not increase the risk for COVID-19, just like dementia does not increase risk for flu. However, dementia-related behaviours, increased age and common health conditions that often accompany dementia may increase risk.
For example, people with Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia may forget to wash their hands or take other recommended precautions to prevent illness. In addition, diseases like COVID-19 and the flu may worsen cognitive impairment due to dementia.
In order to minimise the risk, we at Restheill are taking every precaution to prevent possible infection of our residents and staff. To this end, we have identified three main areas of focus in order to reduce the risk.
Visitors are of course a big risk, especially as some of our residents have family members who regularly travel abroad or who stay in other countries. We have sent a circular asking them not to visit for the foreseeable future and to use alternate methods of communication such as video calling in order to see their loved ones.
Our second area of concern is our service providers. We are limiting which service providers we are allowing onto the premises, restricting their access and not allowing them into the houses. They are screened at the gate and all deliveries are sanitised before being distributed into the houses.
Our third area of concern is our staff and to reduce the risk, they are screened on a daily basis as they enter the grounds for their shift. Their temperature is checked and they are asked questions regarding their health. If any staff member shows any signs or symptoms, they will be asked to leave immediately and consult a health practitioner, as well as self-isolate if necessary. We have issued all our staff members with anti-bacterial soap and have spoken to hem at length about the precautions they need to take. We have also installed a special basin for regular hand washing and sanitisers are available which they use often.
As far as our residents are concerned, we are guiding them to wash and sanitise their hands, especially before meals, and monitoring their temperature on a regular basis.
All staff and residents will be receiving flu vaccines so as to further minimise their risk of getting sick.
Rest assured that we are taking every precaution and that our management team will review the protocols every two weeks so as to stay on top of the situation as it develops.
Please stay safe during this period and lets all work together to beat this virus.