Staff moves into Manoir Stanstead

By Matthew McCully

For the next month, 13 employees of Manoir Stanstead will call the place home. On Sunday at 7 p.m. they said goodbye to the outside world and committed to a month-long stay at the residence in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to the 53 seniors living there. It will also give the residents, for a short while, a return to normalcy. For the next four weeks, there will be no one coming or going at the Manoir, according to Registered Nurse and Director of the home, Susie Adam. “It will be the safest place to be.”
The residence has not had any cases of COVID-19.
“I was surprised to see so many say yes,” Adam said. “I am so proud of them.” Adam herself has been living at the residence since the beginning of March. “The staff were really careful,” Adam said, leading up to the move. They didn’t go shopping for two weeks before, she explained. “It’s like a big home here,” Adam said. Normally, the residents sit together for meals. At the moment, they are spaced out in the dining area.
For the next two weeks, the staff will maintain social distancing measures in the residence, as will the seniors. “Right now I’m sure, but I want to be 100 per cent sure,” Adam said. “In two weeks, when I’m 100 per cent sure nobody has the virus, we will be able to do activities,” Adam said. The residence can then return to normal for a while. “It will make this period a bit easier for the seniors. It’s so hard for them,” Adam said.
The Manoir closed its doors to visitors on March 12. “They had nobody to hug, to kiss, to be close to them,” Adam commented. “They need to be touched, to feel another human beside them.” While many of the staff members were leaving family members to move into the residence, Adam said they realize it is a small sacrifice to make compared to what the residents are going through.
In addition to Adam and the 13 employees, the Manoir has one other new tenant. “One staff member said I’m ready to go, but I have a dog,” Adam explained. While the residence has a no pets policy, because of the extraordinary circumstances, special permission was given for Bobo the Chihuahua to move in. “Everyone loves Bobo,” Adam said, adding the dog weighs four pounds right now, “but in a month, he’ll probably weigh more than that.”
According to Adam, the families of the residents are really happy that the Manoir has gone the extra mile to ensure the safety of their loved ones. “We do more than take care, we love them,” Adam said, adding the employees consider the residents like family.

Aside from the move, Adam said the husband of one of the staff members is helping organize a morale boosting surprise for the residents this weekend.

Published in the Wednesday, April 8 edition of The Record.

 

Share this article

Comments are closed.