PMH adds visitor pods at care homes to allow for safe family visits during pandemic

Friday, 30 October 2020 09:17

PMH adds visitor pods at care homes to allow for safe family visits during pandemic

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Those passing by Deloraine Health Centre may have noticed something new. Visitor structures are getting into place to serve residents of Delwynda Court and Bren-Del-Wyn PCH. The idea is for a resident and his or her loved ones to visit in these pods during the flu season and the newest wave of COVID-19. The pods will be added to other care homes in the region, to allow for easy cleaning between visits and help keep everyone safe, while still allowing people to see their loved ones in person. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRANT CASSILS

Residents and visitors to personal care homes in the region will be seeing some changes very soon.
New visitor pods have already appeared in Deloraine and will soon be functional. The idea is for the structures to be an avenue for care home residents to visit loved ones during flu season and the pandemic.
“Visitor structures are designed to enable a single Personal Care Home (PCH) resident to visit up to five individuals at one time,” explained Prairie Mountain Health CEO Penny Gilson, “however, actual number of visitors will be determined by individual PCHs in accordance with screening and safety at the time of the visit.”
She added visits are required to be scheduled to allow structured access to the room and sufficient time for cleaning and room turnover between visits.

Gilson said with the flu season coming and a possible second wave of COVID-19, the province awarded a construction tender to Manitoba-based PCL Constructors Canada to develop and build all-season shelters. The shelters are sea containers that have been specifically repurposed and designed for this use. They meet the Manitoba Building Code, with electrical and mechanical systems in place to make them all season. They will be able to provide air exchange and easy cleaning.
Visitors will be health screened before visits. Along with cleaning and filtration, shelters are designed so visitors can access them outside and not have to travel through the PCH itself, lowering possibility for infecting staff and residents. According to the Manitoba Health COVID Long Term Care Principles, visitors might be escorted by staff to and from designated visitor sites, must sanitize hands going in and out and must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visits must be pre-booked.
Guidelines for the shelters can be found here: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/covid-19-pch-visitation-principles.pdf.
In Deloraine, the outdoor shelters will be used at their two homes - Delwynda Court PCH and Bren-Del-Win Lodge - which are next door to each other at the Deloraine Health Centre. An external shelter will also be built at Evergreen Place PCH in Boissevain. In other areas like Westview Lodge in Boissevain and Souris (Souris PCH), there will be internal shelters within the buildings constructed.
“Internal shelters are accommodated where existing capital infrastructure and space could meet necessary infection and control requirements.”
Gilson said the structures are being placed temporarily to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic. The timeline for having them operational will vary from facility to facility pending construction completion and training and orientation of staff. Some visitation could happen soon.
“Most external shelters will be operational early in November,” Gilson stated, “while most internal shelters will be operational later November.”

By PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff

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