We are almost ready to start the visits from family members in the garden of the Château. We are only waiting for the reception of a marquee that will allow holding these meetings even when the weather is not cooperating.
To help us prepare for these meetings we would like you to fill out a 2-question survey that will allow us to know the preferences of families for visiting hours.
You can complete the survey by clicking here
See you soon
We have good news.
Following a ministerial request, we screened all residents of our CHSLD. Although this only represents a snapshot at the time we did the tests, they continue to confirm that we are on track because we have not detected any carriers of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
This doesn’t mean we are ending our screening protocol. We will continue to screen all residents who may present symptoms or residents in preventative isolation following a stay outside the centre.
Our very severe prevention measures have proven to be effective and that is why we will continue to apply them rigorously. This perfect score reflects the efforts of all our staff.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Please note that we cannot maintain video conferencing during holidays.
The staff who take care of bringing the tablets to the residents and connecting you are not working on these days.
If you had booked time slots on June 24 or July 1, we will have to cancel them.
Thank you for your understanding.
Last Thursday, we received a resident from Hotel-Dieu (MUCH), and as usual, we asked for a test to be done before the transfer.
Unfortunately, they did not do it and they transferred him telling us he was negative. But the last test they did was on the 9th of May.
Our procedure indicates a 14 days quarantine on arrival for any new resident, and this was done as soon as he arrived, we also did a test since it hasn’t been done by the MUHC. We received a positive result the same day in the evening.
At this point, we increased the isolation measures in place and created a hot zone with the adjacent rooms.
The fact that the resident was negative twice before, and had no symptoms, means he was probably a false positive.
Scientific literature has identified a few cases around the world like this. It seems that the test picks up the residue of the dead virus left in the lungs. They are detected long after the negative test because of the time it takes to move the debris up the respiratory tract.
The “Santé Publique” considers those cases as non-contagious. But since we prefer to do more than not enough, we treated him like a positive.
The isolation protocols were followed and a dedicated employee was assigned to this resident only.
Therefore, the risk of contamination is extremely low.
Our employees have been trained in isolation protocols. We also have implemented many measures weeks ago to prevent contamination from an employee who could be an asymptomatic carrier (change of uniform, wearing a mask at all times, etc.)
Like we said before, we are prepared to deal with a positive carrier. Since we isolated the 4th floor, and decontaminated elevators, which we do as soon as a resident in isolation needs to take it (ex: coming back from a test, a new resident arriving at the Château), there is no possible contamination toward the resident from other floors.
The resident will be tested today. They will need to stay on the 4th floor till the result comes back (probably tomorrow).
As for the employees, since the resident was in isolation on arrival, they do not need to be reassigned or stay home. We will test them too, we are waiting for information from the CIUSSS as to how they want to proceed.
Either we test them ourselves or the CIUSSS organises a clinic for the employees.
None of our employees are symptomatic and all of them are questioned before each of their shifts as part of our standard procedure.
The resident was sent back, after many hours of discussion with the MUCH, Friday evening.
We were all very surprised to see the name C.H.S.L.D. Château Westmount appears in the list of the Quebec Ministry of Health (MSSS) indicating that we had had one (1) death related to COVID-19.
We can reassure you. THIS IS A MISTAKE ON THEIR PART.
We send statistics to the MSSS on a daily basis and it would appear that there has been an error in transcribing the data. And yes, they rewrite all the numbers received by all C.H.S.L.D. and residences, by hand in a system of their own.
Unfortunately, we had three (3) residents who have died since March, but none of them died from COVID, even though they had all been tested before their deaths.
Our sympathies and condolences go out to their families.
We hope that when the list is published the next time, this error will be corrected.
Following our publication yesterday regarding the different areas, several people contacted us believing that we had positive cases at the Château.
We can reassure you, no we do not have a case. Yesterday we simply explained the areas on our blog to keep people informed.
The designation of dedicated areas is part of our pandemic plan. This plan consists of multiple different measures that must be applied at key moments and that help either prevent contamination or stop it.
From this perspective, we must, even if we do not have a case, plan in the event just in case.
Good planning will allow us to better control the situation and limit the spread and will not leave us caught off guard.
We are very proud of our employees because it is thanks to them that we have managed to maintain this perfect score. They make considerable efforts day after day and make enormous sacrifices to prevent COVID-19 from entering our doors. We would also like to thank you, the support you have shown us confirms that we are moving in the right direction.
We have all heard the May 5th announcement regarding visits by caregivers to seniors’ residences and C.H.S.L.D. as of May 11th, 2020.
While we are aware of the importance of visiting significant people for our residents, we do not share the government’s view on the timeline.
The situation in Montreal is far from being under control, the figures tell us that we are on the “plateau” of the curve.
We are currently developing a strategy to allow meetings between residents and their loved ones while limiting the risk of contamination.
You must understand that you are not just putting your loved one at risk if you come to visit him but the 112 residents of the Château and its employees. This virus is highly contagious and spreads extremely rapidly in healthcare facilities like ours.
Once our strategy is finalized, we will publish the details. It will include the categories of people who may come (young children will not be allowed at the beginning), the prerequisites (no symptoms, test result, etc.), and how this will be done.
We do not plan to implement these measures until at least this summer. The date has not yet been decided. This will depend on the progression of the disease in the metropolitan area.
All of our decisions are based on ensuring the safety of residents. We are sorry for the inconvenience this causes you. We are aware that these times are difficult but we have managed, with drastic measures, to avoid the deaths and the hecatomb that have suffered other C.H.S.L.D., we want to continue on this momentum and maintain an environment free of COVID-19.
We would also like to point out that we have developed a visitation protocol for residents receiving end-of-life care.
Thank you all for your understanding and collaboration. We could not achieve these results without your support.
What could be more uplifting for morale than a little treat brought by a loved one? Our residents love to receive your cookies, cakes, muffins, and other dishes concocted by you, it reminds them of beautiful memories with you.
Unfortunately, since we have to disinfect all the parcels that our residents receive, we ask you to refrain from sending them prepared food from home.
If you would like to send them a treat, please send them a commercial package that has already been packed.
P.S. Please note that flowers are accepted.
Thank you for your understanding
In order to maintain an adequate and risk-free environment for our residents, we have separated the C.H.S.L.D. Château Westmount into different areas.
Areas classified 1 are areas reserved for residents, these are controlled and disinfected which allows us to ensure the safety of residents.
Areas classified 2 are prohibited to residents, either because of the risks that can be found there, e.g. basement or kitchen where dangerous products are found, or because of the risk of having external contaminants such as COVID-19 virus (basement employees’ clothing).
Areas classified 3 are areas that are temporarily closed to residents for administrative (Penthouse) or clinical (resident’s room in isolation).
Areas classified 4 are areas where residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Areas may have to change from one level to another depending on the conditions. Posters are posted at the entrances to the zones.
Thank you for respecting them.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Constance-Lethbridge Rehabilitation Centre (CLRC) has cancelled all wheelchair prescription and positioning clinics until May 8th, 2020. They have limited their services to meet urgent and essential requests only. Rest assured that the rehabilitation department at C.H.S.L.D. Château Westmount continues to make adjustments and repairs on wheelchairs with the resources that we have on-site.
Proper positioning of residents remains a priority, and that is why we are currently testing the idea of the teleconference for future wheelchair clinics in order to provide a continuum of care for our residents.
Urgent and complex modifications will be submitted and assessed case-by-case by a special committee from CLRC. Unfortunately, all of these modifications will have to be made at the CLRC as the technicians and mechanics from CLRC are not permitted to enter the “C.H.S.L.D.”
All high-touch surfaces on the wheelchair will be disinfected before transporting the wheelchairs and after reception to limit the risk of transmission. In addition, all wheelchairs are thoroughly disinfected by our staff once a month or more often if necessary.
Please excuse any inconveniences that may arise from the implementation of these new procedures and rest assured that we are working as hard as we can to meet the evolving needs of our residents.
Thank you for your understanding and collaboration,
Austin Ong, Occupational therapist
Château Westmount | 4860 Boulevard de Maisonneuve O Westmount, Quebec, Canada H3Z 3G2
Phone: +1 514-369-3000 (ext. 229) | Fax: +1 514-369-3000 | Email: info@chateauwestmount.ca
SIC Code 80,805 | NAICS Code 62,623
Château Westmount is a private residential and long-term care center (CHSLD) licensed by the Department of Health and Social Services. For nearly 30 years, we have been committed to going above and beyond standard practices in all aspects of care. Located in the Westmount neighbourhood and in the territory of the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, we offer 112 private rooms with private bathrooms, spread over 4 living units.
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