Rest home staff worth their weight in gold

Local rest home employees have been a consistent presence of care and support throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for elderly residents in Alexandra.

Jo Rowe, chief executive officer of Presbyterian Support Otago, which owns and operates rest homes in Central, said the pandemic had been a particularly challenging time.

She said she was grateful for their very experienced staff who had consistently gone over and above to care for residents.

“They’ve been phenomenal… imagine wearing PPE every day…Then on top of that they’ve had residents with Covid-19, families with Covid-19 and then Covid-19 themselves in some cases.”

The company has increased hours for their activities staff to support residents who have had fewer visitors and to cheer people up during lockdowns.

Ranui home manager Leigh McLeod said her team maintained fun activities to keep residents' spirits up. They did room quizzes, indoor golf and tennis with balloons and pool noodles.

Leigh McLeod has been working at Ranui for the past seven years. PHOTO: The Central App

“There was housie with distancing, music and some musicians wore masks and sang, we made up activity packs with adult colouring and word puzzles.”

Jo said they tightly restricted visiting for periods to protect their vulnerable residents.

“In some units [Covid-19] has spread quickly. But for us, the care that our residents have received has led them to recover well.”

The shortage of staff in the aged care sector has compounded the pressure on employees Jo said.

“People are consistently working over their contracted hours and I adore them for it. We are seeing many aged care providers closing units and homes because they can’t get staff.

After extra shifts and additional sleep overs Jo said many staff have reached the point of exhaustion.

Leigh said she was prioritising looking after her team including giving them time off.

With settings easing Jo said it has been great to see families able to visit rest homes again and also return to taking residents on outings. 

Quite a few of the 48 residents at Ranui have had Covid-19 but the flu had not yet made its way in, Leigh said.

The latest figures released by the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) were a total of 446 new Covid-19 cases for the Southern region on Thursday June 23. 

In Central there were 224 total active Covid-19 cases. Dunedin has 1273 total cases, Invercargill 391, Queenstown-Lakes 387, Waitaki 290, Southland 183, Gore 103 and Clutha 95 cases.

SDHB case map showing numbers in the Southern region. PHOTO: SDHB

A SDHB spokesperson said Matariki weekend is a time to spend with our whānau and loved ones. 

“If you are sick or have symptoms, please stay home and take a RAT test. Older people and people with some existing health conditions or those who have a disability may experience more severe symptoms if they catch Covid-19 so it's best they avoid catching [it] if at all possible.“

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