The retirement homes in the Miesbach district have the situation under control despite Corona. A single positive test could change that.
Landkreis - Jürgen Pohl hopes to breathe a third time. The managing director of the Tegernsee senior center Der Schwaighof passed two corona tests in his facility with negative results. An employee was in contact with an infected person, a resident had a cough and fever. Both were virus free. The third test - another employee - is still pending. The result decides a lot.
A single positive test poses challenges for retirement homes. If a resident is ill, they must isolate them according to the instructions given by the Interior Ministry. You need more protective clothing, safe FFP2 masks and protective coats - all difficult to obtain. If an employee is affected, a difficult-to-replace specialist must be quarantined during the crisis. Pohl: "Of course we have these worries."
All information about the Corona Kriese in the district of Miesbach can be found in our ticker
Supplies are still sufficient
Pohl has prepared for the worst case. He has set up a pandemic plan and a crisis team. Civil Protection has delivered 200 breathing masks and 50 FFP2 masks, plus protective suits and disinfectants. Volunteers donated self-made masks, and employees also used needles and threads. "We are equipped," says Pohl. "But planning is one thing, what's happening is another."
Lisa Brandl-Thür, head of the Rupertihof KWA Foundation in Rottach-Egern, calculates how quickly supplies are used up. As in the Schwaighof, nurses and housekeepers wear masks and gloves at work at their facility. If the Rupertihof remains spared from Corona, the equipment will last for two to three weeks, estimates the manager. "But if there is a corona case, it will only last a week." If there were several cases, it would be gone even faster.
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Contacts reduced
Because of their high level of commitment, Pohl and Brandl-Thür leave nothing to chance. The Rupertihof has canceled all joint events. "The opportunities to have fun in the house are zero," says Brandl-Thür. This must be in order to minimize the risk of infection. "Once the virus is inside, it goes through." In Schwaighof, too, the residents stay in the rooms, at most coming out for a walk.
Isolation is not easy: "The fact that the trade fairs are canceled over Easter makes the residents sad," says Pohl. Most of them, however, come to terms with the situation. “Many say: 'We made the war, then we can do it,'” says Brandl-Thür. The seniors keep in touch with their families by phone or talk to relatives who come to the property on the balcony.
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The crisis is becoming expensive
Even if the Rupertihof is spared from Corona: Brandl-Thür will not keep to her business plan this year due to the increased prices for protective equipment. “We pay five euros for things that we used to pay a few cents for,” she says. The safety of the residents has priority. "If there is then a minus, then that's just the way it is."
Another approach
The AWO senior center Inge-Gabert-Haus in Miesbach takes a different approach. Here the employees wear gloves and masks. However, the residents move freely on the level on which they live. Events that used to bring the whole house together are now taking place individually for each level. There the residents make music and eat together. "The mood is good," says head Rosemarie Holzapfel.
The logic of their approach: "The greatest risk of infection for the elderly is the staff." Only this can bring the virus into the house. As long as no resident is ill, they can safely deal with each other. The seniors stay in the house, wear protective masks outside their levels. "I hope that the chalice will pass us."
Individual irrationality
Holzapfel is concerned about the irrationality of individuals. Relatives are prohibited from visiting all senior centers. Some still tried to enter the balcony. Brandl-Thür also reports of individual “very unintelligible” residents. That is a shame, because loneliness cannot take away from them. "You can only appeal."
