SENIORS HOME CRISIS EASING
Four weeks since last new virus case
It has now been more than four weeks since the last new case of COVID-19 was confirmed at the Mckenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre.
The modest long-term care home in southeast Calgary was flung into the spotlight on March 23, when a resident of the facility — 85-yearold Anna Neil — became the first Calgarian and only the second Albertan to die from the novel coronavirus.
Infection rates at the facility, operated by Revera Living, would explode over the following month, with 62 residents and 44 staff members testing positive for the virus. Twenty more residents eventually died, making it the deadliest outbreak in Alberta and the site of one in every six COVID-19 deaths in the province.
The outbreak is on the cusp of officially being declared over by Alberta Health Services, with the most recent new case confirmed April 20. Only three cases remain active. Public health officials can choose to declare an outbreak to be over when at least four weeks have passed with no new cases.
Michael Burns was among the first Mckenzie Towne residents to become sick with COVID-19, and he was also one of the first to recover from the virus. The 80-yearold, who has been out of hospital and back at Mckenzie Towne for almost a month, hit a major milestone in his recovery Friday when he managed to stand on his feet for the first time since contracting the virus.
He says all of the facility’s residents are eagerly awaiting news that the outbreak is over and the ability to see family again.
“As soon as we can get visitors in here, we’ll be jumping for joy. We haven’t seen nobody for a long time now,” Burns said. “I’m just good and lucky to be alive now. The pain that I went through, I’ve never felt pain like that in my life. It’s just unreal.”
For Calgarians with family members in Mckenzie Towne, the outbreak was like something out of a nightmare.
Brian van Vliet’s 93-year-old father contracted the virus, while his mother, who also lives at Mckenzie Towne, avoided infection. He said awaiting news about his parents’ conditions through the outbreak was a “helpless” feeling.
“They thought he was going to pass. We came in to say goodbye but he miraculously recovered,” van Vliet said. “I was proud of my dad that he fought through it, that he’s a COVID survivor, not just another statistic.”
The son looks forward to having a chance to visit with his parents again in an outdoors, socially distanced environment. He says he’s hopeful there won’t be a second outbreak of the virus at Mckenzie Towne.
According to Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the Mckenzie Towne outbreak was the first significant one at an Alberta continuing-care centre and had a big effect on how the province approached contagions at care facilities.
The outbreak showed some seniors could appear to be having only mild symptoms before suddenly suffering serious, sometimes deadly outcomes, Hinshaw said. It also demonstrated the risk of workers splitting time between multiple care homes and the importance of early detection at the facilities.
The Mckenzie Towne outbreak “clearly was one that had a huge impact on all residents, staff and families of those who live there and, again, I want to express my condolences to all of those people, because there’s been a huge amount of loss at that location,” Hinshaw said.
“Many of the supports we put in place — the orders we have specific to long-term care facilities — have been informed by lessons learned from that and other outbreaks.”
Revera said last week that its Mckenzie Towne facility is remaining in isolation as a precaution despite no recent cases being confirmed, with staff still wearing personal protective equipment and communicating with families regularly via email.
“The outbreak at Mckenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre has stabilized greatly in recent weeks,” said Revera chief medical officer Dr. Rhonda Collins. “The team at Mckenzie Towne appreciates the support and generosity they have received from the families of residents and the community.”
That community support stands out to Shane Keating, city councillor for Ward 12, whose district includes Mckenzie Towne.
He says actions such as signs of support outside the facility and care packages compiled for seniors show the heart of Calgarians.
“It was absolutely fabulous from not only Mckenzie Towne residents, but City of Calgary residents,” Keating said. “It goes back many years, these situations, whether it’s the flood or Snowtember or a number of things, where Calgarians step up and show consideration for others before themselves.”
As of Monday, 94 Alberta continuing-care residents had died and there had been 783 cases at the facilities.
Though the COVID -19 outbreak in Mckenzie Towne is all but officially finished, the home is likely to remain in the news for months to come after a Calgary law firm filed a $25-million class-action lawsuit against the facility last week on behalf of a woman whose mother, a resident, died of COVID-19 there.
The legal action alleges negligence by Revera in dealing with the pandemic.
Van Vliet was vocal in his criticism of the litigation, saying staff at the house did all they could to keep residents safe.
“I sympathize with those who lost family members but I think this is the wrong time to turn around and sue,” he said. “If people had interactions with the workers in the home, they would see what those people went through. The workers have relationships with all of those patients who passed away. I got calls from workers who were in tears, trying to explain the situation.
“I think to turn around and launch a lawsuit is a slap in the face. Nobody meant for anybody to pass away. We were just one of the many homes that got (ravaged) by this virus.”
Burns, the recovered Mckenzie Towne resident, echoed the praise for the home’s staff, who even brought him a six-pack of beer to mark the long weekend.
“They’re treating me like a king. I feel great. Especially with my exercise, they’re all delighted that I’m moving by myself,” Burns said, adding that he hopes the facility can rebound and fill some of its beds that have tragically become empty. “This place deserves it.”