KOCHI: Life was slowly getting back to normal for the 75 inmates at Bless Homes, a retirement home for the well-heeled, at Vazhakulam, near Aluva as Covid cases were coming down after the initial spike early this year. Then the second wave, deadlier as indicated by the higher infection and mortality rates, came as a sudden wake-up call.
“Unlike the first wave, we didn’t get the time to prepare and explain the situation to the residents. We had to impose new restrictions overnight. We stopped common dining facilities and food was served in their respective rooms in trolleys,” said Babu Joseph, chairman, Bless Homes.“All the residents realised the gravity of the issue when we told them about the Covid second wave and they have responded well,” said Joseph.
While guests were asked to meet inmates in a separate room during the first wave, this time visitors have been completely prohibited. “Food at the common dining hall was avoided, and the staff were asked to provide it to residents in their respective rooms,” he said.Many of the staff members were asked to stay back at the care home while a couple of others who were using public transport were provided with two-wheelers, said Gijo Antony, the managing director.
The situation at Signature Aged Care — which runs two care homes in Ernakulam, one at Chalikkavattom, Vennala and the other at Padamugal, Kakkanad — demanded even more vigil as most of its residents have comorbidities and are under treatment for other age-related ailments. “Many of our inmates need intense personalised nursing and healthcare assistance,” said Joseph Alex, managing trustee of Signature Aged Care that has 140 residents at the two facilities combined.
“We are aware of the threats posed by Covid and have been giving the inmates vitamins, minerals and other supplements to boost their immunity levels,” he said. Alex said all 220 inmates at Signature Aged Care, which includes 80 staff members, have taken the first dose of the Covid vaccine, and so far no one has been infected with the disease in the second wave. “We had a Covid patient in October. No one has been infected in this wave as we have completely prohibited visits from outside,” he said.
At Signature too, staff members were asked to stay within its units to ensure that they do not contract the disease from outside and transmit it to the inmates. Antony said 40 Bless Homes residents have received the first dose of the Covid vaccine but the reported shortage of vaccines has made the availability of the first dose to the remaining inmates uncertain.
George Paul, clinical associate professor and head of geriatrics, Amrita Hospital, said it is a big challenge for care homes to handle the Covid spread as many elderly persons have comorbidity issues. “However, with proper care and vigil, this can be managed well,” Paul said. Amrita Hospital, he said, was in the final stages of signing an MoU with Bless Homes for providing medical assistance to its inmates.