Nursing home residents have "great understanding"

The current situation is also affecting the admission of residents to senior centres in the canton of Zug. What’s it like when residents want to move from home to a retirement and nursing home? The cantonal health department has already discussed and resolved this question. "The current situation does not justify a general admission freeze for nursing and retirement homes," says health director Martin Pfister.

In individual cases, however, an examination of the health status of the person in need of care may be indicated before admission to the nursing home, so that the necessary measures to protect the other residents, such as isolation or quarantine, can be taken. "The decision about any measures or an examination is made by the responsible doctor at the home, if necessary in consultation with the cantonal doctor," explains Pfister.

Precautionary isolation is possible
The retirement homes in the city of Zug, for example, - which include the Zentrum Frauensteinmatt, the Zentrum Herti and the Zentrum Neustadt - are still accepting residents, according to managing director Peter Arnold. "We are currently refraining from showing people around the home or introducing the employees," he says. The Head of Care and Support at the Zentrum Neustadt, Margot Akahomen, says: "We have never had the case in which a resident should come to us directly from home." However, one would have to look at the case with the family doctor and the relatives to check who the resident was in contact with. As a precaution, there would also be the possibility of isolating a person who could be potentially infected. "As we have single rooms, this is definitely an option," continues Akahomen.

Restraint with admissions
The Chlösterli in Unterägeri also has had no such case. "We still have a reserve room that we now need for a holiday guest who would like to extend his planned holiday due to the current situation," says managing director Paul Müller. This means that there are currently no free beds in the Chlösterli. “In general, we are currently reluctant to accept entries from home. If we do have free beds, we currently prefer them to make them available to patients from the hospital, if new residents have to be moved from there,” he adds. At the Zentrum Dreilinden in Rotkreuz, you can see the extraordinary situation through the number of requests for beds, which have decreased. Managing Director Felix Reichmuth says:

"We notice that new residents don’t move in with us unless it’s absolutely necessary."

A move to a home is always associated with emotions. In such times, the focus is on the mental well-being of the residents, in addition to their health: "Having to keep a distance from one another and the cancellation of the entertainment programme has changed everyday life here in general," explains Reichmuth. So it’s now up to the home chaplains and the activation team to find out what means can be used to combat boredom among the residents. In the Seniorzentrum Weiherpark in Steinhausen, they are also working hard to expand the in-house activity program, explains manager Patrick Müller and adds:

"Our residents have a great understanding of the" special situation "and there is a good and respectful atmosphere."

The courtyard had already been furnished with benches and tables and decorated with lots of flowers. "We usually don't do this until the end of April," says Patrick Müller.

The retirement centres in the City of Zug have already put a lot of thought into keeping the residents busy: "An internal newspaper has already been launched in the Zentrum Herti, with Sudokus and crossword puzzles," says Peter Arnold. Whatsapp is also installed on the smartphones used for nursing for mobile nursing documentation. "This allows residents to make video calls with their relatives."