Published: 6 August 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
MY 91-YEAR-OLD MOTHER, Tess Schwarz, with worsening dementia, was the very final admission last year into “Monte” - Jewish Care's old Montefiore Homes in Melbourne, as the organisation prepared for an April shift to the new Windsor residential home built adjacent. Despite numerous challenges, such as Pesach and being the middle of seven weeks of Lockdown 1.0, Jewish Care made a successful transition to the new building.
Our family has a long relationship with this organisation, dating back to the 1940s. In 1977, my zaide grandfather David Hain moved into Monte, that heimishe St Kilda Road landmark. Zaide loved his time there, and they loved him, so when time came for my mother to enter a residential service, we placed our trust in Jewish Care.
When the first lockdown ended, Mum and I were over the moon, as phone calls were replaced by an actual visit. Three more weekly visits were allowed, and then came the dreaded announcement, on July 8, when Jewish Care Victoria halted visiting rights.
I rushed over and saw my mother, the very final visitor to the home. I had to explain, calmly, to this perplexed nonagenarian that "from tomorrow, we can only have phone calls again”.
“But why? I haven’t done anything! Why are they punishing us??” came her bewildered reply.
Dementia precluded a clear understanding of a pandemic; this was not an easy conversation. But transition to phone calls we did, as Jewish Care maintained zero infections while everyone watched Melbourne’s statistics go through the roof.
By early last week, a sub-acute Covid-19 Special Support Unit was set up, just in case, on the 1st floor of the now-decommissioned Montefiore building.
Then, last Wednesday, July 29, a catering contractor reported a positive result at the Gary Smorgon House aged care facility in Caulfield. Within the blink of an eye, the place was in lockdown: 111 residents were isolated in their rooms and testing was arranged. By Sunday, thankfully, every resident had tested negative.
But on Monday morning, my greatest fear was realised. Two people at mum's Windsor building tested positive: an elder in residence and a staff member, who had last worked on site eight days earlier and was now quarantined at home.
A wave of stress gripped me. But Jewish Care again acted swiftly, and remarkably, within hours had put the sick elder in hospital, isolated all residents to their rooms, set up full Covid testing and communicated twice to family members.
All their testing had to be carried out alongside the regular provision of meals, meds and whatever social support was possible under the circumstances.
Mum called me many times on Monday, trying to make sense of the hive of activity, and the need to eat her meal in her room. Her most distressing call, however, was to tell me a strange person (ie a nurse wearing full PPE doing a Covid test) was trying to do something unpleasant to her.
“She wanted to stick something up my nose! What's going on?”
Fortunately, I held her hand down the phone line, and the intrusive swab-testing was done and dusted. Eventually Mum settled, had dinner and went to sleep - soundly, safe and well.
POSTSCRIPT
On Monday night, an email arrived, informing us that a second elder had tested positive. By Tuesday there were three, and very sadly, by yesterday, Thursday, August 6, there were 12 cases confirmed in the Windsor building, plus five staff quarantined at home.
We are now just days into six weeks of unprecedented overnight curfew. I pray Jewish Care’s decisive clinical action, along with efficient communications with us on the outside, will ensure that its Covid response remains at its excellent level and stays as good as possible.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with all residents, staff – and their families - to have a speedy "Refuah Sheleima" (get well soon).
May we hear only good news.
Photo: The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building
