The corona virus affects many areas of life. Older people in particular belong to the risk group, which is why the situation in retirement homes in the Weilheim-Schongau district has changed. Nevertheless, the institutions are trying to make the best of the situation.
District - "The residents take the situation calmly," says Christian Osterried, facility manager of the Heilig-Geist Hospital in Schongau, when asked by the local newspaper. An attempt is made to maintain a bit of normalcy. However, various activities - such as worship - had to be canceled.
Schongau: Residents are "relatively normal" with the ban on visits
Osterried thinks it is very good that the residents adhere to the specified exit restrictions. In the fresh air, however, they are not lacking: "We have an inner courtyard in which the residents now make their rounds and sit on the benches in the sun," says Osterried. The ban on visits for the family and relatives of the residents is not a problem, the elderly are “relatively normal” with the situation. "It is possible to skype with the families, but so far there has been no request from the residents," explains Osterried. The facility manager could not easily answer whether there was more telephone contact between the seniors and their families, since there was a separate telephone in each room.
In order not to take any risks for the residents, the Heilig-Geist-Spital implemented the necessary hygienic measures. This includes that the nursing staff wear a face mask.
Weilheim: Tablet for skyping with the families was organized
The situation is similar at the community center in Weilheim. As facility manager Rainer Schlosser explains, the retirement home has implemented “all prescribed protective measures”. This means that the nursing staff wear protective clothing for the safety of the elderly when they come into contact with them. The civic center is little affected by the tightened protective measures that Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder has ordered. "Not much changes" because the nursing staff had previously worked in protective clothing. However, the facility manager is affected by the residents' admission freeze, which Söder also imposed. "Two recordings were planned, which are now postponed."
In order to give seniors access to the outside, the community center “opened the inner courtyard prematurely,” says Schlosser. He also recently ordered a tablet so that the residents of the community center can also skype with their families. They are supported by the staff. The facility manager only finds more need for speech in the “individual few”, as he says.
Penzberg: Write postcards instead of visits
There is also the possibility of making phone calls with the families in the “Steigenberger Hof” retirement home in Penzberg. For the time being, however, only by phone and not via Skype. "I was already thinking about skyping," explains facility manager Sybille Pichler. Unfortunately, the retirement home does not yet have WiFi for everyone and they do not have a tablet with a SIM card. "But we are looking for a solution," explains the home manager. But only in the Steigenberger Hof do the seniors not only have to sit inside. The employees go out into the fresh air with the residents. "We have the big park," says Pichler. The residents also diligently write postcards to their families and relatives. “They know that from before and enjoy it,” says Pichler.
To ensure that none of the residents get the corona virus, the employees change clothes before starting work - and have also been working with mouthguards since the tightened hygiene regulations. "We adhere to the hygienic requirements and the minimum distance is also observed in support," says Pichler. "We try everything that the corona virus does not come to us."
The admission freeze "I think every home is affected," she says. Nobody will be accepted if someone dies.
Read also: The project was rejected twice: Now the construction committee has agreed to an outpatient care flat share on Rathausplatz. The operators have changed their concept.
You can always find all information about the corona virus in the Weilheim-Schongau district in our news ticker or regularly with our new newsletters from the Weilheim-Penzberg region and the Schongau region.
