What it's like moving a loved one to a COVID-19 field hospital

Charmaine Edwards says she was shocked and overwhelmed when she learned that her 92 year-old mother Keitha Bernat would be one of Windsor's first long-term care residents moving into the new St. Clair College SportsPlex field hospital.

Edwards, who lives in British Columbia, received the call from Heron Terrace Long Term Care Community on Friday, adding that she and her family were very scared for Bernat — especially since the field hospital is only intended for residents of long-term care and retirement facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19.

After watching a livestream tour of the facility, however, Edwards said she now has "nothing but positive thoughts" about the field hospital. 

"Almost immediately … I could not believe all the people that were involved in putting that facility together in such a short time," she said. "And when you watched the video … you know right away that everybody did their very best to make this place a place where people like my mom can heal from COVID-19 and that they would be getting the very best medical care in, I think, the world in this very moment."

The SportsPlex facility has space for 100 beds and opened on Saturday, when 20 patients from Heron Terrace were moved into the space. 

According to Dr. Marguerite Chevalier, chief of family practice at Windsor Regional Hospital and the lead physician at the field hospital, one Heron Terrace resident was moved on Sunday, while seven were moved on Monday. 

"The transition went really smoothly," Chevalier said. "There was great communication between the Heron Terrace staff and the staff here receiving them, and EMS did a great job absolutely facilitating the transfer of all the patients."

WATCH | Take a tour of the St. Clair College SportsPlex field hospital:

She added that the field hospital has patients with a range of symptoms, including "some patients that have mild or … moderate symptoms to some patients that have no symptoms."

"[On Monday], we received probably five patients that are what I would consider to be fairly asymptomatic," Chevalier said, adding that patients in the field hospital are "very, very tired and don't feel well."

John Scotland, CEO of the Steeves and Rozema Group that owns and operates Heron Terrace, as well as other long-term care facilities across southern Ontario, said the decision to move residents was a result of staffing concerns caused by COVID-19.

"For us, it was what's the best interest of our residents," he said. "Where can we be assured they will get the care they need?"

Scotland added that his organization received consent from families to move their loved ones.

"It was done with their informed consent, and the feedback we've had from those family members so far has been incredibly positive," he said. 

He added that the SportsPlex field hospital is possibly the first such facility designed to treat COVID-19 in Ontario.

"I really do have to give credit to Windsor Regional Hospital and their CEO David Musyj for initiating this," Scotland said. "I think it's absolutely brilliant."

'Confident that my concerns have been heard,' says geriatric care doctor

While the facility is intended to provide treatment for people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, one Toronto-area doctor said he was initially concerned about patients with other illnesses — specifically dementia.

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network, said has was worried because approximately 70 per cent of Ontarians living in long-term care homes have dementia, while 50 per cent of them have "responsive behaviours."

"Living in a home-like environment with staff who know you well is often a way to support you, especially when you're ill and you could actually be at an increased risk of confusion," he said. "What wasn't being made clear through media reports was how we were going to take into account people who might actually have dementia and how this move itself could be traumatizing, and how they could be at an increased risk for developing what we call delirium, or an acute confusional state."

After voicing his thoughts on Twitter, however, Sinha said he received a response within 20 minutes from Windsor Regional Hospital chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad. 

"[Saad] kindly walked me through what they were thinking," Sinha said. "[Saad] assured me that they had actually been consulting with geriatricians like myself and helped clarify things that made me feel that this field hospital would be taking into account the needs of some of the frail, vulnerable people living in our long-term care homes. 

Sinha said he's "confident that my concerns have been heard and I'm confident that my concerns are being well thought of."

Scotland said that Heron Terrace took into consideration its residents living with dementia before the move. 

I could not believe all the people that were involved in putting that facility together in such a short time- Charmane Edwards

"All those things were considered," he said.

As for Keitha Bernat, Edwards says her mother is stable, but very tired, even 15 days since being diagnosed. 

"We are just hoping for the best," Edwards said. "And now we know where she's at and what kind of care she's getting, we have nothing but positive thoughts, and we're a little bit more hopeful."

"I can't tell you the relief that we received when we saw all the videos."