Trending
NEW ULM -- Oak Hills received the Business of the Year award from the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce and few were more deserving.
Oak Hill has been a part of New Ulm since 1958, but this past year was likely the most challenging. As long-term care, short-term rehab and assisted living facility, many residents were among those most at risk from the COVID-19 virus. When the virus began to spread through the country in March 2020, Oak Hills went into lockdown to protect its 126 residents. For months, only staff were allowed inside the building.
"It's been quite the roller coaster ever since," Director Candas Schouvieller said. "We follow the guidance of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). They set the regulations and standards of what we can and cannot do."
The staff was regularly tested to COVID-19 to prevent transmission. In the early days of the pandemic, the staff was tested twice a week. Residents were also tested. As of February 2021, the staff is still tested once a week.
In the early days of the pandemic, the residents were isolated to their rooms with no visitors. Group activities were not an option. During the spring, outdoor family visits were possible, but indoor visits were limited to the lobby entrance.
The strict regulations at Oak Hills paid off. For eight months, the staff was able to keep Oak Hills free of COVID cases. November was the worst month for COVID cases in Brown County. Well over 1,000 cases were reported in a single month across the county. Oak Hill was not able to prevent the infection from reaching the facility. A few residents did contract COVID.
A COVID unit was set up to isolated those with the virus to prevent further spread. A COVID team was established with staff who were assigned to only work with COVID patients. The COVID unit is still in place, but no further cases have arisen at Oak Hills in two and half months.
The prolonged lockdown forced Oak Hills to think up ways to keep residents in the best of spirits. Schouvieller said the activities department stepped up to the occasion. Additional events were planned indoor. The entertainment would come to the residents. Cindee Krzmarzick would walk around with her guitar and sing to residents.
Technology played a vital role in daily life. There were a lot of Zoom meetings with the family. Virtual Reality goggles have been popular. This lets the residents virtually visit anywhere in the world. This has been popular with the residents.
Though people could not come into the building, family and community would parade by Oak Hills windows and outdoor musical performances were held for residents.
The pandemic required additional staffing at Oak Hills for one-on-one activities. The process of testing and reporting also requires additional people.
Staff needed to be flexible in case a co-worker developed COVID symptoms or was exposed to the virus. Shifts were rescheduled to ensure the safety of residents.
Schouvieller said the residents have been extremely resilient considering the difficult year.
Due to the higher risks for seniors, Oak Hills was among the first places to receive the COVID-19 vaccinations. Three vaccination clinics have already been held at Oak Hills. At this time, all residents who want to be vaccinated have received it. By March, the entire staff should be vaccinated.
Schouvieller said there was still uncertainty on what will happen after all staff and residents are vaccinated. She said Oak Hills has not received any direction from MDH or the CDC, but the hope is the facility will be able to open up for family visits again. Regular family visits would be a push toward normalcy, but it would reduce workload. Schouvieller said with COVID restrictions scheduling family visits takes longer. These visits must be planned and are limited to certain times. Before COVID, the family could drop-in to visit without pre-scheduling.
Another hope for the future is Oak Hills will be able to take residents on bus trips away from the facility. For the last year, residents have been homebound to the facility and many are anxious to get away.
The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the worst things faced by Oak Hills, but Schouvieller is proud of how the staff rose above it. The spirit of residents remains high because the staff was able to step up and fill in for the family that could not visit.
"The pandemic is not over by any means," she said. "but we are still standing and we are still showing up. I think it made us realized we are strong than we realize."