I mentioned in another thread that I had been sick with a Gastrointestinal bug of some sort. I did pick it up at Mom's facility. They are now on mandatory quarantine for the Noro Virus! I am better, actually felt human when I woke up this morning... and hungry! So I went to pick up Mom's laundry and leave her clean clothes. WOW... Of the admin staff only the Receptionist, the Maintenance/Housekeeping Director, and the LPN are still working. Everybody else is sick. Actually the LPN had the virus over the weekend! I am not sure about AL but 8 of the 24 Rem resident have it. Luckily all the cases are on the other hall and Mom is virus free so far. Meals are being served in the room and all residents are required to stay in their rooms. Visitors are not welcome! I had to hand wash and mask just to go get the laundry. It's amazing what a rogue virus can do in a confined community.
Mom was sleeping when I was there. Just to prove that routine is important... she was pacing all day yesterday and most of the night because her routine had been disrupted by the quarantine. She doesn't like to stay in her room but enjoys being out in the commons during the day. It is necessary but that change has thrown her off her balance for now. Hopefully it will be over in a few days and things will go back to normal.
I had to feel bad for the staff. They looked frazzled! Half of them were just back from having the virus and the other half were scared they were going to get it! Not to mention the additional work or trying to keep the residents that don't understand in their room... and all the one on one help that has to be done in isolation with decontamination between room instead of in a communal setting.
At this point I am just glad I had it rather than Mom
Love, deb
The following 2 users give hugs of support to: Gabriel mitsy (01-11-2012), ninamarc (01-11-2012)
My FIL's home uses these industrial machines to wash so they only allow their staff to do the laundry in the home. We have to take the laundry back to our home to wash if we choose to. His home is drawing a fine line between the family and the staff. They do the wash everyday actually. This is only a memory care home - not an AL at all. I heard some families do the wash back home themselves.
I sure hope you are getting better. It sounds scary...
Once we checked out a nursing home and they just had quarantine and we could not visit it. That scared us away.
Hope the virus will be gone soon.
This is actually something that happens in any closed community. Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, schools, cruise boats.... The Assisted Living Mom and Dad were in before had several such outbreaks of viruses. Noro is highly contagious but with the proper steps it is also easy to control because the virus doesn't have a long life without a host. You just use good germ control practices and quarantine. They seem to have done a good job of controlling it. I will say it was a nasty bug!! I don't get sick often and that one knocked me down for several days.
There are large industrial washing machines that the staff uses but because the memory unit is attached to a larger assisted living facility there are also machines on each floor that the residents or families can us. I prefer to bring Mom's home and do it here. I was not doing the laundry there... just gathering it up to bring home and putting away the clean laundry I had brought from home. I was only there for less than 20 minutes.
The outbreaks have slowed dramatically so hopefully in a few days it will be back to normal. In the mean time I will take a few more days off!
Deb...I am so sorry you got it but so so glad your mom didn't! I can't imagine her stuck in that room ..what does she do..walk in circles in there?
They had it at mom's only a few times in the three years she was there and luckily mom never got it. I was always up there with bleach cloths wiping everything down.
The ALF I visited today to see my aunt in had no hand sanitizers anywhere in the building. In mom's place they were everywhere. You didn't leave or enter the building or the elevators without the dispensers mounted on the wall.
Glad you feel better. But on the good side...didja lose any weight?
Funny you should ask Meg.. actually I did lose some weight but I am sure it's back. Since my appetite came back yesterday afternoon I have been eating everything in sight!
Each employee at Mom's facility has their own hand sanitizer and there are large pump bottles everywhere. Mom moved there almost 3 years ago and this is the first viral outbreak. They have done well.
I talked to the facility today and they have no idea how long the quarantine will last. I talked to Mom's lead care manager and she assured me Mom was NOT in her room! The ones that do have the virus are in their room, and those that will stay in their room as in their room. But Mom is being Mom! It would not be emotionally healthy for Mom to be stuck in her room alone. Whatever happens it happens but we all know Mom can't be isolated that way. They are just making sure she doesn't come in contact with the sick ones.
I'm just going a little nuts not being able to go do what I have done for so long!
In my FIL's home, they had this flu last year at one time. They told us try not to visit that week. They even gave him preventative med. for the flu and asked if my husband is OK with it.
They do what they have to do. Good that you are better and that your Mom is fine with it!!
They are down to 3 cases in Mom's unit but the building is still quarantined. So far Mom is still good. One thing I did discover is that Antibacterial hand sanitizers are useless when it comes to Noro.... it's a virus and not a bacteria. That's why hand washing is so very important. They are hoping it will all be back to normal by next week.
I broke the quarantine (used the laundry as an excuse) and went to see Mom today. She was in good humor, sitting at the kitchen table, playing with her food... so I fed her. She has lost more weight. It is obvious. But she's still going! I just have to wonder what decline this quarantine, isolation, routine change, is going to result in. I have already seen the signs in some. Hopefully life will go back to normal there soon.....
I also had conversation with the new ED today. I think I am going to like this new lady!! So far so good. If she produces what she plans life will be good again. She interviewed a new Rem Coordinator today... I got my fingers crossed on that one!
