COVID-19 in Ballarat: How aged care is facing COVID-19 outbreaks

Mr Clarke also still checks his rain gauge every day, even after retiring aged 77.

Now four months shy of his 100th birthday, daughter Margaret Sanders said these little routines of normality were important to her father, who was now a resident in Ballarat Health Services' Talbot Place.

It has been a challenging move for Mr Clarke whose family sought extra care after he was in hospital for a stroke in the wake of an operation on his broken hip.

Mr Clarke's wife had been a resident with dementia in the nearby Bill Crawford Lodge and, while his occupational therapist would walk with him to see her daily, she died 10 days after he moved into Talbot Place.

The COVID-19 lockdowns hit and Mr Clarke had not seen much of his family the past two years.

Mr Clarke was not directly impacted in last month's COVID-19 outbreak in Talbot Place but Ms Sanders was confident in his care - and confident in her father.

A machine gunner in WWII, Mr Clarke was known for his calmness in battles through Papua New Guinea and Borneo. Ms Sanders said her father had a great mental attitude to life, he could adapt to any situation.

Before the army he grew up in the outback where he was used to facing loneliness, but he also did not stress too much, even when navigating challenging weather conditions on the farm.

This does not mean lockdowns have been easy for Mr Clarke or his family. Ms Sanders said they follow his lead and find ways to cope.

"The staff all love him in there. He's so easy and never demands," Ms Sanders said. "Dad being in there last year, we were worried about him...It's hard but I've felt really confident in the staff."

Mr Clarke still walks and talks and eats all his meals. He had mowed his own lawns until breaking his hip. Ms Sanders said he had a few falls along the way but kept on going.

About two-and-a-half years ago, Mr Clarke was facing heart failure and had been given six months to live. Even check-up since, Ms Sanders said the doctor found her father seemed to get fitter as he aged.

Mr Clarke was also vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as he was allowed because it was part of moving forward.

Ms Sanders said staff offered her plenty of updates and helped work visiting sessions around her work hours.

There have been times when Ms Sanders could not go in to Talbot Place, due to visitor restrictions, but she could take her father out.

"He doesn't always believe it when staff tell him I have arrived for a visit, especially after lockdowns - I can hear him talking to them," Ms Sanders said.

"They're always kind and call him 'Darling Heart'. Dad always lights up when he sees my face though. He's a good guy and I have missed him but I accept what we need to do."

BILL Crawford Lodge sounded the alarm for the deadly coronavirus infiltrating this city's vulnerable aged care settings.

A small COVID-19 outbreak in Talbot Place last month, 18 months on from the Bill Crawford quarantine, still heightened concern for Grampians Health but Ballarat Aged Care interim executive director Mick Kirby said this was almost a completely different picture.

High vaccination levels among staff and residents, coupled with greater monitoring tools and treatment options, helped better tackle what was an easier-spreading but overall less severe COVID-19 strain.

Since Mr Kirby spoke with The Courier this week, another COVID-19 outbreak is emerging Grampians Health Ballarat-run WB Messer aged care facility.

Mr Kirby said a well-vaccinated aged care population meant most symptoms were milder and more manageable, allowing residents to stay cared for and isolating in the aged care home.

When COVID-19 hit Bill Crawford Lodge in July 2020, unknowingly introduced by a staff member, two infected residents were immediately moved to acute care and the facility went into stricter lockdown.

"When a situation like this occurs, the first thing that is difficult for us is staffing levels," Mr Kirby said. "When COVID-19 hits a facility, it hits staff. Furloughed staff is a big issue across healthcare.

"...Knowing we have vaccinated staff and [improved] capability to check who's coming into facilities gives us more confidence in what we're doing.

"We've been living with COVID-19 for awhile. It's been shown along the way vaccinations, rapid antigen test kits and a difference in PPE [personal protective equipment] matter.

"Bill Crawford is what COVID was and we assessed how it impacted. We'll do a bit of work to sit down and compare the two responses."

Talbot Place is home to 25 residents and, according to Ballarat Health Services, the cluster who contracted COVID-19 last month had not been eligible for their booster vaccinations at the time.

The Courier understands 80 per cent of Ballarat Aged Care residents - that is, those in public care under BHS - have received a third booster dose. Of almost 370 residents, less than 10 who were eligible and willing were waiting to receive a third jab.

Grampians Health had completed third doses for eligible residents in November but this did not account for new residents or those whose initial vaccinations had been delayed.

Some residents have also chosen or are unable to receive a vaccination due to their physical or mental health status.

The initial vaccination program for state-run aged care started in March last year.

All Ballarat Aged Care staff were to have had their booster shot by this weekend.

IN OTHER NEWS

Mr Kirby said both outbreaks, and the latest WB Messer cases, benefit from being part of the broader health service. This meant more immediate access to infectious disease specialists and control teams than most private care facilities.

What had not greatly changed was the strict measures on visitors, particularly during an outbreak.

While BHS has maintained a strict, conservative approach, Mr Kirby said this naturally took a toll on staff and residents missing loved ones. More lifestyle staff were called in to work during lockdowns and others stepped up welfare checks, but Mr Kirby said it was no real substitute for family visits.

"For Talbot Place we could do window visits and FaceTime and iso packs with activities, which you can do in general aged care," Mr Kirby said.

"But it's been really tough on staff to see residents isolated and to deal with that...You have to understand staff develop relationships with residents they're caring for every day."

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