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After several employees and elderly people were infected with the corona virus, the Schäflisberg retirement center has been in quarantine since Wednesday. More infected people have already arrived since Thursday night. More test results are pending. A 97-year-old man also died. According to director Christina Granwehr, many sick people are getting better again. You are surprised that most of them have mild symptoms.
The Schäflisberg Retirement Center is located in the Monastery district of St. Gallen. Currently, residents must stay in their rooms.
Christina Granwehr has had stressful days, and more to come. Actually, the director of the St. Gallen retirement center, Schäflisberg, would be on vacation. But now she is sitting in her office, the phone rings all the time. The reason: Several employees and residents have been infected with the corona virus. On Thursday night it emerged that the Felsenstrasse retirement home and its 90 or so elderly people are in quarantine.
Christina Granwehr says she learned Tuesday that a resident was infected. Then he immediately returned from his vacation. From Wednesday it is forbidden to visit Schäflisberg.
More test results are still pending
More cases have been added since Tuesday. While two employees and six residents were discussed Thursday night, Granwehr spoke Friday morning of three employees and 10 residents for whom the corona test was positive. A 97-year-old man also died Thursday night. Granwehr said he was seriously ill and had long expressed his wish to die.
Christina Granwehr, Director of the Schäflisberg Retirement Center.
He did not die for Corona. But the virus sped up everything. The resident did not want to be hospitalized. “
Regarding the number of infected people, Granwehr emphasizes that this is the current state: more test results are still pending.
An infected person is in the hospital. Granwehr said he wanted this to happen when he was diagnosed. “I really didn’t have any serious symptoms. The resident is originally a doctor and the transfer to a hospital was important to him. “
According to the director, the evolution of the disease among those infected is very different. Some residents in their 80s struggled with diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Now you are fine again. “You are a bit tired.” A man has trouble breathing from time to time. Then oxygen is supplied. A woman older than 90 years does not have any symptoms.
“Overall, I’m surprised that most of the symptoms so far have been quite mild.”
Not everyone can bear it in the room.
Nursing home and nursing home residents now have to wait in their one-bedroom apartments. The staff brings food to them three times a day. In addition to the protective mask, which has long been mandatory anyway, employees wear protective gowns for people who are positive. An activation therapist visits residents and suggests, for example, that they solve a crossword puzzle. But most of them would listen to music, read, and watch television.
“But we don’t lock anyone up,” emphasizes Granwehr. A woman resisted staying in the room. Since he tested negative and showed no symptoms, he was allowed out. Other residents sometimes take him out of the room as well.
“Then we will offer you a walk down the hall.”
It’s important, says Granwehr, to keep meetings as short as possible. Most would understand. On the other hand, some relatives would oppose the visitation ban. But this certainly needs to be held until early next week to break the chain of infection. The next steps will be discussed on Monday.
Many residents take it easy
Despite everything, the atmosphere in Schäflisberg is really good. “Many residents say that an infection would not be that serious. They are old and are not afraid of dying, ”says Granwehr.
“The older person is more relaxed about it.”
Many have also been ill for a long time. The staff is also doing “incredibly well”, and she is very happy about that.
The director feels a bit abandoned by the canton. When he closed the house on Wednesday, he received contact tracing instructions throughout the day. “I haven’t heard from it since Thursday.” Although they are professionally configured and have had protection concepts for a long time, it is still a big change to quarantine an entire house.
In reality, staff should be quarantined.
Christina Granwehr addresses another problem. The retirement center is divided into three buildings. 25 employees work in each one. If someone on the staff becomes infected, the rest of them would have to be quarantined according to the canton.
“But that’s just not possible because we have to take care of our residents and we don’t have enough replacement staff.”
When an employee became infected this year, Granwehr had employees with symptoms examined and requested special permission from the canton so the team could continue working.
“I don’t know how the virus got into the home,” says Christina Granwehr. Whether all the cases came from a single person or whether some of them got infected somewhere at the same time is “very hard to tell.” After a resident was tested on October 9 and later found to be positive, “one case after another was added.” Everyone was always extremely careful, says Granwehr. The employees and the visitor have always been wearing masks since March and the distance is maintained.
