Ahead of the holidays, the Loch Lomond Village, a 100-bed nursing home in Saint John, N.B., has been hit by an outbreak of COVID-19.
Speaking with Global News on Thursday, Cindy Donovan, the CEO of Loch Lomond Villa, said there were about 15 active cases between the facilities’ four houses (Cedar, Dogwood, Willow, and Maple Houses).
“Our hearts were broken because here it is the third Christmas for our residents and their family, so we haven’t per se cancelled anything, we’ve modified, we’ve adjusted,” Donovan remarked.
Donovan noted an additional 15 staff members have contracted COVID-19 outside the Village.
In past, she said, nursing homes would lean on each other for resources, but that’s no longer feasible.
“So we are in what I will tell you is a critical situation in regards to staffing,” Donovan said.
“We are about to call our, what we call our essential care partners, which is our family members for our loved ones, to actually consider maybe coming in and even coming in more often to help.”
Currently, there are no active cases at the Loch Lomond Villa, the 90-bed nursing home across the street from the Village.
According to Donovan, many nursing homes are under similar strain.
“You could probably call any nursing home in the city and beyond, and we all are experiencing an outbreak in COVID cases,” she said.
Global News reached out to the Department of Health for any comment or statistics regarding COVID-19 in New Brunswick nursing homes, but did not receive a response by publication time.
Reports of an increasing presence of COVID-19 within nursing homes have prompted calls for better measures and financial aid from the government.
Robert Gauvin, the Liberal social development critic, recently called for the province to reinstate the per diem for homes, which was cut in the summer.
“They can give them back the funding to be able to clean more and maybe help them with money to get extra staff because extra cleaning means extra work,” Gauvin said Thursday in an interview.
Meantime, Cecile Cassista, executive director for the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents Rights, stated there’s a need for consistency in measures across nursing homes.
“I really believe that people should be wearing their mask, they should be vaccinated, and all protective equipment should be worn in these homes no different than what they do in the hospitals,” Cassista remarked.
She added there’s a need for more transparency from the government, particularly in terms of data.
Across all Loch Lomond Villa homes, Donovan said their measures have remained stringent throughout the pandemic.
When asked about funding, she said, “Right now, we’re seeing such an influx again of people getting sick that absolutely I would accept any help.”
Donovan said her advice to the public is to remain vigilant, take all the necessary precautions, and do not visit loved ones if you’re symptomatic.
In the meantime, the Village houses wait for Public Health to deem the outbreak over, which requires ten days without a new case of COVID-19.
Donovan noted they will continue to do their best to keep the holiday spirit alive, even for those in isolation.
“You know what, just to see some smiles on their face even though they know we’re in crisis does everybody extremely well.”