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WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2022
NATIONAL NURSING WEEK
MAY 9-15, 2022
#W e A nswer T he C all
RAISING SPIRITS AT NORTHERN SPIRIT MANOR
BY ASHLEY MCDONALD
These restrictions on access and activities, in place within long-term care homes throughout much of the pandemic, were implemented in an effort to minimize transmission of COVID-19 amongst a population significantly vulnerable to its worst effects.
McDonald and her co-workers took it upon themselves to maintain the important connections between residents and their families in any way possible. Connecting residents with their loved ones became an increasingly important part of the job. “When visitation was most limited, nurses arranged FaceTime and phone calls. Some family members would call and leave voicemails, so we would play the messages at times when they could not be face-to-face or have FaceTime visits,” McDonald says. Making COVID-19 information available in the residents’ first language was also important, as staff worked to ensure residents understood the changes happening and why they were necessary. “With the Indigenous culture and population within our facility, we arranged for COVID-19 messages to be provided in Cree to number of our residents so they could get information in their language,” McDonald says. “This helped them to understand why their families weren’t able to visit at times.” Nurses and staff also acted as a support to the residents’ families, keeping them informed about how their loved one was doing. Sometimes, nurses had the difficult responsibility of relaying over the phone that a loved one had passed away. “Nurses and other staff within the care home were, at times, the only family that the residents had when they went into the spirit world,” McDonald says. “Knowing that the residents were not alone lessened some of the burden on
family members who were unable to be here when their loved one passed.” McDonald acknowledges the difficulty that nurses and other facility staff had in enforcing visitor limitations during the pandemic and highlights the extra steps that staff took to provide comfort and support to residents whose routines had been disrupted and who were feeling the effects of social isolation. “We watched the mental health of some residents decline when they couldn’t see their family members or interact with their friends in the home,” McDonald says. “Nurses and other staff stepped in, played games with them, read to them, sat with them or even just had a cup of tea with them.” This extra effort came at a time when many staff were feeling the additional stress of potentially contracting or spreading COVID-19. “At times when most of the residents had to remain in their room for meals, we walked the halls constantly, checking in with residents, keeping them safe and making sure they were eating and drinking,” she says. “It’s been truly incredible to see how the nursing team at Northern Spirit Manor have risen to the challenge and made sure our residents received compassionate care during this very stressful time.” Ashley McDonald is a clinical resource nurse at Northern Spirit Manor inThompson, Man.
C OVID-19 has impacted all areas of health care over the past two years; however, its effect on the residents of Manitoba’s long- term care facilities and the care teams who support their day-to- day needs has been particularly significant. At the core of these multi-disciplinary care teams are compassionate, highly skilled nurses, supporting the direct care needs and mental health and wellness of residents. Long before the pandemic, these nurses and their colleagues were developing close relationships with residents and their families, based on trust and familiarity — bonds that became particularly important during the pandemic’s many waves. Ashley McDonald is a clinical resource nurse working at Northern Spirit Manor in Thompson, Man. “We care for a number of residents in our home with cognitive impairment or dementia,” McDonald says. “For them, understanding the pandemic was a challenge. Many felt abandoned and forgotten by family members.”
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It’s been truly incredible to see how the nursing team at Northern Spirit Manor have risen to the challenge and made sure our residents received compassionate care
during this very stressful time.”
“Witnessing the distress this would cause residents, I think, has been one of the most heartbreaking moments for nurses — and all care providers,” McDonald adds.
Leader
ASHLEY MCDONALD IS A CLINICAL RESOURCE NURSE AT NORTHERN SPIRIT MANOR INTHOMPSON, MAN.
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2022-04-27 9:57 AM
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