'We got hit hard' Clarendon Hills assisted living facility copes with second wave of COVID-19 cases

CLARENDON HILLS – As coronavirus case numbers soared this fall throughout Illinois, and assisted living facilities were hit particularly hard, The Birches Assisted Living facility in Clarendon Hills hoped to keep the virus from returning inside its doors.

But also braced for the worst.

"I hoped it doesn't come back, but I'm a realist," said Jacqueline Sander, executive director of The Birches. "Until something dramatically changes in the area, we try to protect ourselves here, but I can't protect them from what's out there."

That was indeed the case. The Birches went more than four months without a positive coronavirus case, until a resident started showing symptoms Oct. 27. Since that time, 41 of The Birches' 70 residents and 22 team members have tested positive for the virus, as of Dec. 10.

"We got hit from multiple angles," Sander said. "We had people coming from doctor's offices, we had caregivers coming in, we had college kids coming home for our team members, restaurants opening up. You mix that in with we have residents who have friends that they sit with. This is their house. It was multiple angles. We got hit hard."

The Birches is hardly alone. In DuPage County, 2,734 cases of coronavirus, or 5.5%, have been associated with long-term care facilities, and 524 deaths, or 65.5% of the countywide total. Fortunately, no one at The Birches has died of COVID-19, and 90% of the cases at the facility have been asymptomatic.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health website, there have been 41 long-term care facilities in DuPage County alone with 40 or more positive cases.

The Birches first locked down because of the pandemic on March 16, four days before Gov. JB Pritzker's March 20 statewide stay-at-home order. Sander, who has been at The Birches for 13 years, laid out a nine-page pandemic plan to families and residents, but said "we didn't have to use it until May. We have been transparent with families, same with residents."

The Birches' first positive case was on May 5 when a staff member tested positive. Two days later its first resident tested positive, and the day after that the facility started mass testing.

The Birches did weekly tests this spring until there were no more positive cases. Sander said the facility had eight residents and two staff test positive during the first wave in the spring, with the last person taken off isolation June 16.

"We were one of the last ones in the area to get hit, and that one was by surprise," Sander said. "You do the full testing to see where it is and surprisingly for us we were not seeing a lot of symptoms at first. We were seeing a lot of asymptomatic cases. In the spring we were able to get it under control quickly."

The second wave has been very hard on staffing. Sander said they hired extra staff and added additional hands on all shifts. The Birches was fortunate to have good partners jump in to assist.

"We have a few caregiving agencies come in who have been lifesavers, to help staff in addition to our team members," Sander said.

Policies had to be adjusted, in some cases changed daily, to prevent potential virus spread. Residents have had to remain in their rooms, for the most part, and can't do activities in community rooms in groups. Meals are delivered to residents' rooms. If a team member tests positive, they are off work for 14 days. If a resident tests positive, they are isolated.

At the same time, Sander said they've tried to be creative with soclal interactions, with residents unable to see their loved ones.

All summer The Birches did concerts in the parking lot, and set up hair stations for residents to have their hair done. The Birches installed Alexa devices where families can call and check in without a staff member needed.

With in-person visits not currently allowed, The Birches is creating what Sander calls "luxury windows" by the Christmas tree where family members can make appointments to visit relatives through a window. Sander said they'd been preparing to have outdoor visits this winter, but can't because of current mitigations.

"The whole point is we need to have residents be able to see their loves ones because they haven't seen them in a while," Sander said.

That isolation tears away at Sander.

"The heartbreaking part is even during the summer, when the rest of the world was opening up, the families were still unable to spend time with their loved ones," Sander said. "To get hit again this fall, because of everybody else's outside choices, and families still can't see their loved ones, it's a heartbreaking situation."

Sander, though, is hopeful, with new positive cases at The Birches trending downward. The facility had one new case last week, down from five the week before and eight the week before that. She sends emails to families and residents 2 to 3 times per week with updates.

Right now, they're allowing residents not in isolation to walk in the hallway by their room, without congregating in areas. Next could be allowing residents to walk on other floors.

"They need to exercise, to keep moving," Sander said. "They know The Birches, that we are nimble. We tighten up hard but then we're flexible. They understand that it will not be like this all winter, but we need to do what we're doing to get things under control.

"What's next, I don't know. It wouldn't be hanging out still, but maybe you can go to another favorite spot. We'll inch forward and do it together."