Hand-holding support for elderly homes by CGAT
Elderly homes have been hit severely by the fifth wave of COVID-19, and the Community Geriatric Assessment Team (CGAT) has been working closely with the homes on a daily basis to support the elderly.
Suen Dan, Advanced Practice Nurse of Community Nursing Service of Princess Margaret Hospital, recalls how her outreach team dealt with a crisis at one home where there were only two uninfected caregivers to look after around 30 to 40 elderly residents. “One staff came up to me with red eyes and wept, saying they had failed to call for an ambulance to arrange admission for infected residents,” she says. “The staff were worried that they might have been infected and had to stay there for taking care of the residents.”
After soothing the caregiver’s emotion, the outreach team immediately assessed the physical condition of the residents, performed nursing care procedures, provided advice on monitoring of clinical parameters and management on deteriorating condition. Teleconsultations were also arranged according to the patients’ clinical needs. Under this critical time, Ward Managers of the team get in touch with each elderly home every day and leave telephone numbers to the staff to make enquiry no matter day or night. "We also answer early morning calls to provide support and relieve pressure of the homes and hospitals, and to ensure residents are properly cared. We hope to win this battle together.” Suen explains.
Dr Leung Chi-shing, Consultant of Department of Medicine and Geriatrics of Caritas Medical Centre, believes the relationship between the outreach team and the elderly homes has strengthened since the epidemic began. “In order to prescribe the two oral antiviral drugs to suitable patients as early as possible, we introduced the drug information to the residents' families through the elderly homes and obtained consent so that residents could receive the prescribed drugs after diagnosis, speeding up their treatment,” he says. Elderly patients have responded well to the drug treatment and the outreach team is continuing to work with the homes and community organisations to provide rehabilitation for recovered residents and encourage residents to get vaccinated early.
Suen Dan, Advanced Practice Nurse of Community Nursing Service of Princess Margaret Hospital, recalls how her outreach team dealt with a crisis at one home where there were only two uninfected caregivers to look after around 30 to 40 elderly residents. “One staff came up to me with red eyes and wept, saying they had failed to call for an ambulance to arrange admission for infected residents,” she says. “The staff were worried that they might have been infected and had to stay there for taking care of the residents.”
After soothing the caregiver’s emotion, the outreach team immediately assessed the physical condition of the residents, performed nursing care procedures, provided advice on monitoring of clinical parameters and management on deteriorating condition. Teleconsultations were also arranged according to the patients’ clinical needs. Under this critical time, Ward Managers of the team get in touch with each elderly home every day and leave telephone numbers to the staff to make enquiry no matter day or night. "We also answer early morning calls to provide support and relieve pressure of the homes and hospitals, and to ensure residents are properly cared. We hope to win this battle together.” Suen explains.
Dr Leung Chi-shing, Consultant of Department of Medicine and Geriatrics of Caritas Medical Centre, believes the relationship between the outreach team and the elderly homes has strengthened since the epidemic began. “In order to prescribe the two oral antiviral drugs to suitable patients as early as possible, we introduced the drug information to the residents' families through the elderly homes and obtained consent so that residents could receive the prescribed drugs after diagnosis, speeding up their treatment,” he says. Elderly patients have responded well to the drug treatment and the outreach team is continuing to work with the homes and community organisations to provide rehabilitation for recovered residents and encourage residents to get vaccinated early.