Key To Queens Manor Is Happiness At Work
A Scandinavian philosophy is helping staff and residents at Queens Manor navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executive Director Andrew MacVicar says the long-term care home practices Arbejdsglaede, a Danish word that means, “happiness at work”.
“It is something that our staff brings to work every day. It’s the simple things, three simple things a day that you can think of, or reflect on at the end of each shift that really brought you happiness at work.”
MacVicar says all departments from the care and recreational staff, to the nutrition and environmental personnel work to make Queens Manor home for the residents.
And by ramping up recreation and nursing staff numbers, the manor can provide activities to smaller groups across the home.
When a resident first makes their home at Queens Manor they’re asked about their interests.
Whether it’s card games or puzzles or small group activities like bocce ball, bowling or washer toss, staff work to provide residents with activities to meet their needs.
“We have two wings here, an East and a West wing and within each wing we have a couple of different dining rooms with rooms around them. A dining room may have eight to ten residents located adjacent to it. So that is how we’ve been dividing our programming up.”
The effect is to maintain a warm atmosphere while being able to follow the social distancing guidelines required to limit the spread of COVID-19.
MacVicar says the measures learned from watching others cope with the virus seem to be working as Queens Manor has not had a single instance of the coronavirus.
“I’m not naïve to the fact that we’ve had the luxury of watching this virus move across the planet and the country ahead of us, and we’re using other people’s or other facility’s hindsight as our foresight.”
He is hopeful the current pandemic has opened people’s eyes to the conditions in long-term care homes.
“When you’re talking about infection control and you’ve got half your residents in double rooms sharing bathrooms, you don’t need to be a public health expert to see that that’s a struggle.”
Because of those conditions, MacVicar says it’s a struggle each year for facilities across the province to even deal with influenza, which is a virus with a vaccine and immunity.
“You multiple things with a virus that doesn’t have immunity with a population of people that are often immuno-compromised and the layout of these buildings, frankly, just don’t cut it.
MacVicar is optimistic that government, the health care system and society at large will learn the lessons COVID-19 has taught about the need to change the way Long-Term Care homes are built and operated.
“I really hope that the biggest silver-lining of this is that the powers that be see that these facilities, while they might be robust in terms of their structure, they’re just not designed for the population of people that are living in it from a functional and mobility standpoint and an infection control, prevention, standpoint.”
MacVicar says throughout the pandemic and everyday before that, the staff at Queens Manor have exhibited strength and dedication under trying circumstances.
“They’re underpaid and overworked. We deal with staffing shortages all the time. These people need to be commended for their dedication during a very fearful moment in their career.”
He says he and the entire leadership team are more than proud of the people that work at Queens Manor.
MacVicar encourages everyone to recognize the work the staff are doing each and every day.
“If you know a frontline healthcare worker in long-term care or acute care, reach out and give them a call and thank them because the work their doing is incredible and underappreciated.”
Reported by Ed Halverson
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson