Parkside Extendicare outbreak continues, more than 120 active cases among residents

As the Parkside Extendicare care home in Regina continues to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak, 25 residents who have tested negative are set to be moved.

According to a statement from Extendicare, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has approved the transfer of the residents to the Regina Pioneer Village Long-Term Care Home. Extendicare said it has “worked in collaboration with the SHA to develop, plan and facilitate this transfer with strict PPE and infection prevention and control precautions in place.”

Residents being transferred have tested negative for COVID-19.

The Parkside Extendicare building is currently dealing with 123 active resident cases, 13 resident recoveries and 55 active staff cases, with an additional six staff cases resolved.

There have been 11 residents who have died that tested positive for COVID-19.

“This really shows the complexity that once you get COVID into a long-term care facility, how quickly it can spread, to no one’s fault. It is something in a congregated living setting, it is tough to manage it,” said Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s top doctor.

Extendicare is continuing to work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to provide more targeted care for residents. Weekly staff testing could also be on the way, with Extendicare saying the SHA supports this.

With staff testing positive and being forced to isolate, more pressure is being put on an already-thin workforce according to SEIU-West president Barbara Cape.

“Staff are incredibly worried. I think that’s an understatement, to be blunt. They are extremely concerned about how the virus is getting in, they are concerned about their residents getting sick, but they’re really just heartbroken over the loss of the residents who have passed away,” Cape said.

Cape, who worked at the Parkside Extendicare care home until 2008, said there have always been staffing challenges. She said that since it is a for-profit and privately-run care home, the policies it follows might not be the exact same as the SHA’s.

Cape has heard from employees there who say they are working 12- to 16-hour shifts.

“In a health care environment, that is pretty backbreaking work and it’s mentally and emotionally and physically exhausting. But you throw in a global pandemic on top of it and you have a recipe for just incredible amounts of burnout, fatigue, worker injuries, you name it, and that’s what we have at Parkside,” Cape said.

Cape said the outbreak could be spreading quickly because of how many residents the facility can have, which can be around 200 people. She said they are split into wings, but staff would normally be able to travel between them freely. She said they are trying to reduce that as much as possible.

“The staff’s focus is on the residents and the staff are doing everything they possibly can to stay healthy and well so they can, in turn, take care of their residents and clients,” Cape said.

Due to staff shortages, the Regina Fire Department has had to step in. Deputy Chief Neil Sundeen said they were called by the SHA last Friday to come in and lend a hand. Members began to work there on Sunday and will continue to do so until Friday.

“They’re doing tasks – everything from general personal care, to some care of a medical nature, some testing care and helping getting ready to transfer some patients out of the care home,” Sundeen said.

The fire department members have been working in groups of four and are off-duty members. Sundeen said they have supplied their members with PPE as well as PPE supplied by the SHA.

“It’s not affecting our day-to-day operations of our fire services at all,” Sundeen said.

Sundeen said it shows how far its members are willing to go to help out people in the city.

“These people in the Parkside care home are the most vulnerable in our society,” Sundeen said. “Our members have parents and grandparents and they know that these people are other people’s parents and grandparents.

“I’ve talked to some of them after they’ve worked their shift and they’re finding it so rewarding giving that personal care and contact and knowing that they’re really fulfilling a need in our society.”