McCormick Resource Centre
The impacts to long-term care of the COVID-19 pandemic are almost too numerous to count. Many of the strict measures imposed were taken in order to protect one of society’s most vulnerable sectors. The rapid pace of change and ever-increasing regulations mandated by our government and health officials presented an ongoing challenge to those in our care, their families and our staff members.
The emotional toll of these restrictions, some of which are slowly being lifted, has been difficult to bear for many people. But I would like to express my sincerest thanks to our staff for their courage, determination and commitment to not only keeping our residents safe, but also ensuring they feel loved and cared for. They are to be commended for so adeptly accommodating the ongoing changes we face.
We are also extremely grateful for all the support and encouragement we have been receiving from our families and members of the community. Surprising and unexpected gestures of thanks have streamed steadily into the home and have helped cheer us immensely. I encourage you to view the many posts on our McCormick Facebook page to see photos of the wonderful experiences of support shown to us all.
The most exciting moment for everyone in the home came on the day we received confirmation that our first round of COVID-19 tests for staff and residents came back 100% clear. Given how hard the long-term sector was hit by the pandemic, we were indeed thrilled that through the combined efforts and cooperation of staff, residents and families, we were able to achieve this incredible result. We continue to undergo regular mandatory testing of all our staff members and are pleased to do so in support of maintaining our non-infection levels.
Over the last few weeks, the Ministry of Long-Term Care has been allowing us to gradually lift our visitor restrictions and resume family visits, albeit with mandatory restrictions in place to keep everyone safe. These visits have been going extremely well, and I am grateful to all our staff who have enthusiastically responded to the task of carefully reuniting families and their loved ones. We continue to monitor our progress and strictly follow health directives as we navigate toward welcoming everyone back together again.
Tanya Pol is the Administrator of McCormick Home.