By Cecilia Nasmith
Golden Plough Lodge Director Bill Detlor reported at the November meeting of Northumberland County Council's Community Health Standing Committee meeting that more than 90% of the staff at this facility have both COVID-19 shots as required by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
This leaves 18 with one or zero shots, Detlor added, none of them with medical exemptions.
To date, there have been three staff retirements and seven “reversals” - staffers who changed direction and agreed to get vaccinated.
As for residents, Detlor said, all received the third or “booster” COVID-19 shot as of Oct. 11.
It has been a big lift to them to be able to resume day trips and enjoy in-house entertainment - “although it's cohorted to the residents' home areas,” he added.
“You can see the joy in their faces.”
The Golden Plough Lodge budget for 2022 should have some savings, Financial Planning Service Manager Angie Turpin said, because of the fact that the existing building should only be in use one more year. Therefore, facility-upkeep expenditures are kept to a minimum wherever it is safe to do so, and any new furnishings are purchased with an eye to moving them to the new building when it opens.
An increase in staffing is anticipated under the province's direction to ensure each resident of a long-term-care facility receives four hours of care daily, but numbers are not yet available.
“There are going to be challenges and timelines in terms of hiring staff,” Detlor said.
“We are still working through those details to determine exactly how many extra staff it will take to increase the number of hours to get to the target.”
