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

On April 14, Prime Minister Legault hinted at the return of caregivers in long-term care facilities. This measure was considered by the government to assist institutions that are experiencing staffing problems. These people could help, without replacing the beneficiaries’ attendants (P.A.B.), with tasks such as feeding the resident.

While we face the same challenges as the entire healthcare system when it comes to staff needs, C.H.S.L.D. Château Westmount is proud to say that at no time have we had a service breakdown.

From the beginning of the pandemic, we have increased the number of shifts to improve the P.A.B./resident ratio. Although we have a few shifts left unfilled from time to time, we have always been able to offer the excellent services that our residents are used to.

Therefore, given the risk of contamination posed by the arrival of people from outside our organization, we will not lift the entry ban on private caregivers or “sitters”. Similarly, volunteers are still not allowed.

In terms of staffing, we did not take any chances and quarantined and tested some employees as soon as they developed symptoms.

We had two (2) employees who received positive tests. In both cases, these employees were not symptomatic during their last shift. Both employees experienced symptoms more than 48 hours after working with us.

We did conduct an epidemiological investigation for each case by tracing the residents and other employees with whom they worked. We are pleased to report that no contamination has occurred.

In addition, by looking at the shifts worked and the onset of symptoms, we can establish that these individuals were not infected while working at C.H.S.L.D. Château Westmount.

We want to assure you that we keep a close eye on preventing our residents from being at risk. To prevent the risk of contamination by an asymptomatic employee, we ask all staff to wear a mask at all times, and we also require staff to wear their uniforms only after they arrive at us.

Our establishment performs well in the prevention of COVID-19, thanks in particular to the precautions taken by our staff and by the means of the distanciation from the external environment that we have put in place.

We know we can count on your cooperation to maintain these good results.