Steps are being taken to secure the sites managed by the National Assistance Board (NAB), to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus among the elderly persons in their care, should a case be recorded on this island.
That’s according to Charyn Wilson, Director of the NAB. She made the comments while responding to a question in the House of Assembly, on that entity’s preparedness for COVID-19, as the debate on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure continued.
“We have been having several meetings with staff on every level with our heads of sections, supervisors; we’ve been having site meetings in order to get each site prepared for the eventuality. As you would know, we have the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village. We are putting together visitation protocols and we are going to reduce our visiting time at the Village,” she said.
Wilson went further, indicating that they have secured a space where persons can visit their loved ones and will also be securing a sick bay at the Christ Church facility. She went on to say that in respect of the Jorris Dunner Elderly Day Care Centre, a similar sick bay is being set up in the event someone is sick and they have also restricted the way participants are dropped off at the Day Care Centre. The Director indicated that in terms of the Clyde Gollop Shelter, they have designated an area where persons can visit and have also reduced the visiting time at the Shelter.
“In terms of our Home Care Programme, we have been trying to get supplies for our home care workers, in terms of sanitisers, that they would be able to use and to take them into the field. We have been giving them the information that they need. There is also going to be a train the trainers session, where staff will be trained and then they would be able to train other persons in regard to COVID-19,” she stated.
The director went on to speak about the NAB’s recreation programmes that are conducted across the island, noting that as the country is still at level zero so far as the national response to the coronavirus is concerned, those programmes will continue. But, to protect persons, she said they are ensuring that there are enough supplies on hand to sanitise areas.
Wilson also touched on the Home Care Programme, disclosing that staff are trying to make contact with relatives of the persons benefiting from the programme in the event there is a need to move to a level that is more restrictive.
“Also, we are in the process of putting together care kits for our home care recipients in the community; those care kits would be for persons who live alone. As I would have said at Wednesday’s sitting, our February statistics indicate that we have 1,040 recipients and almost 40 per cent of those live alone,” she stated.