‘It’s changed how I live my life’: Grace Villa worker still recovering months after COVID landed her in ICU

Christine Outridge was one of the first people to get sick in Grace Villa long-term-care home's outbreak last year.

COVID-19 landed the 57-year-old housekeeper in hospital for three weeks, infecting her family along the way. She still hasn't recovered.

Grace Villa had Hamilton's biggest and deadliest COVID outbreak. From Nov. 25 to Jan. 19, the east Mountain home had 144 resident and 88 staff cases. Forty-four of the facility's 156 residents died.

Days after the outbreak ended, Hamilton MPP Monique Taylor released eight anonymized letters from workers at Grace Villa. They detailed conditions inside the outbreak - residents left in soiled clothes and bedding, and poor sanitation - and alleged deaths from dehydration.

Outridge, who's also a part-time personal support worker (PSW) and the chief union steward at Grace Villa, says the home lost more than a dozen workers after the outbreak and has changed its entire administration.

While Grace Villa's operator acknowledges some changes" in its front line and management staff, the CEO of APANS Health Services maintains staffing and resident care were always their priority.

Staffing levels are very good," said Mary Raithby in June. The Long-Term Care Homes Act doesn't have minimum standards on the number of staff in a facility, other than to have one registered nurse in the building at all times.

As The Spectator previously reported, months after the outbreak ended some Grace Villa staff, like PSW Tammy Reed, are on sick leave, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Others, like nurse Lisa Scott, have resigned.

Grace Villa is just one example of what health-care professionals and advocates say is happening in facilities across the province. Though vaccines have dramatically slowed down COVID in long-term care, staffing levels are at their worst. Yet experts say that nothing will change until working conditions improve.

A false negative

On Nov. 24, Outridge left work with headaches and a rash. She was tested that morning as part of routine staff testing.

The next day, Grace Villa was in outbreak with two resident cases. Outridge was still isolating while waiting for her results. Two days later, her test came back negative.

But Outridge still felt sick. Soon, she started to cough. On the advice of Grace Villa's management she went to a hospital for another test on Nov. 29.

They called me back midnight that night and said I was positive," Outridge said, noting she believes she caught the virus at work.

Because of her earlier negative result, Outridge had stopped isolating in her home. Her son, daughter and son-in-law got COVID, too. Her daughter had a high fever and chills, and Outridge wondered if she should call an ambulance.

But on Dec. 1 her own cough was so bad that Outridge ended up in the hospital.

It was to the point of not being able to breathe," she said.

Union calls for help

In Ontario, more than 7,200 COVID-19 cases have appeared in health-care workers linked to long-term care from Jan. 15, 2020, to July 26, 2021. Ten have died. But that's not the full story.

One of the untold stories of the pandemic is how many staff ... got physically ill from COVID-19 and have never recovered," said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. The numbers are significant," she says, but they're not reported.

Remaining staff were stretched thin in homes with outbreaks. With high levels of burnout reported among LTC workers, staff counts are dropping drastically, Mehra added. That means worse standards of care.

The expectations have lowered in very dangerous ways," she said.

Back at Hamilton General Hospital, staff tried to improve Outridge's oxygen levels. But she wasn't doing well. Before long, Outridge was in the ICU.

In the meantime, her union, SEIU Healthcare, asked Premier Doug Ford to order a hospital takeover of Grace Villa - a call was supported by MPP Taylor - saying the pandemic's impact on staffing was severe."

On Dec. 11, one day later, the union escalated its calls to the federal government. Now, they sought military intervention in war-zone"-like conditions where there were neither enough PSWs to care for residents, nor enough cleaning staff for the horrific" sanitary conditions, the letter said.

At this point, there were 50 staff and 77 resident cases at Grace Villa. Eleven residents had died.

Senior care needs drastic changes'

Though the threat of COVID in seniors' homes dramatically decreased with vaccines, Dr. Amit Arya says much work lies ahead to improving conditions in long-term care.

Homes with big outbreaks in the first two waves had a huge turnover" of staff, said the palliative-care physician.

Arya, who was deployed into some of these facilities, said improving working conditions is an urgent issue that will, in turn, improve the life of residents.

Those are really two sides of the same coin," he said.

Basics like feeding, hydrating and bathing residents should be non-negotiable and a given," Arya added. But staff should also have enough time to sit down with residents and support them emotionally to improve their quality of life.

It's very clear after what happened during COVID-19 that our entire elder care system needs drastic changes."

Like being in a glass bowl'

In the ICU, Outridge was surrounded by windows along one side of her room. It was never dark in the unit. Constant white noise came from a nearby oxygen machine.

It was like being in a glass bowl," she said.

It was also lonely. She couldn't talk, so she communicated with hospital staff by writing on a whiteboard.

In the meantime, her colleagues were sending updates on Grace Villa. Residents were dying one by one. Staff were being asked to prepare their bodies.

I totally felt like I abandoned my co-workers," she said.

By her third day in the ICU, Outridge wasn't getting better. Doctors spoke to her about putting her on a ventilator.

I pretty much lost it and went hysterical," she said. As a last resort, they had her lie on her belly on a special air bed. Soon, she started to improve.

After more than a week, she moved out of the ICU and back into the COVID ward. On Dec. 22, she came home, still on oxygen.

It was really scary," Outridge said about the experience. It made me feel like I was a child."

In the spring, Outridge was diagnosed with PTSD. She feels guilty that she couldn't help her colleagues during the outbreak. She also struggles with guilt about getting her family sick.

Though her breathing has since improved, Outridge still gets tired easily. She has headaches almost daily.

Before getting COVID, she used medication for her diabetes; Now she's on insulin.

She still doesn't sleep much. Little things can trigger an anxiety attack - wearing a mask for too long, being around too many people, even hearing the noise of an air conditioner, which reminds her of the hospital.

That makes me angry," she said. In small little pockets, it's changed how I live my life."

What needs to change in long-term care

Here's what advocates, workers and experts say:

• Transparency about staffing levels, wages, vaccination rates at homes;

• Organized, systematic mental-health supports for workers;

• More staff;

• Permanent wage increases for workers, including PSWs, cleaning and dietary staff;

• At least 10 paid sick days per worker;

• Improving workers' access to vaccines;

• Ensuring adequate ventilation in facilities;

• Regulating staff;

• Improving family access to residents.

Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com