Face masks instead of bracelets: Scary times but we’re coping and positive

Epilepsy SA – Free State & North West Branch’s Residential Care Centre falls within the category of essential service. Caring for other people’s children is a huge responsibility.

“The centre is taking every possible step to ensure the health and well-being of all beneficiaries and staff,” says the director, Gary Westwood. Gary says they started limiting access to the centre on 21 March and implemented a complete lockdown on 23 March.
Their services to persons with disabilities will continue during the lockdown and certain steps have been taken to mitigate the risk of infections.

These steps included:
1. Implementing additional hygiene regimes.
2. Residents are not allowed to leave the centre for shopping, church or any social activity.
3. No visitors for a minimum of 30 days (this period may be extended) and strict access control has been implemented.
4. Epilepsy SA recommends that families take family members home. The reason being that it will be easier for the family to isolate them at home. It will also be easier for us to monitor and care for fewer residents. To date, 21 residents have been placed at home.
5. Free internet access to residents to make and receive WhatsApp calls and video chats so they can maintain meaningful contact with their families.
6. There is a quarantine section at the centre for a maximum of six residents who may become infected.
7. Weekly updates of activities and happenings will be posted via Whats- App, the Facebook page @Epilepsyparys and their website www.epilepsy.ngo.
8. The daycare facilities for persons with disabilities have been closed.
9. Staff and residents are monitored twice daily for any symptoms, i.e. raised temperature. An action plan to isolate residents is in place.
Programmes, namely the protective workshop and vegetable garden, will continue as these will keep residents occupied during the lockdown.
The vegetables are necessary for residents’ healthy eating. Both these programmes are done on the centre’s premises.
Bracelet making has stopped as there is no market on cruise liners for the foreseeable future. Tough times call for desperate and creative measures. Instead, they have now started making face masks for residents and the public. People can order online at www.epilepsy.ngo and pick them up while shopping for essentials.

Nancy and Keri showing off the face masks made at Epilepsy SA.

The community outreach work has been stopped, but a social worker is on standby to assist in any case needing urgent intervention.
Besides the change in programmes, Gary says they anticipate that COVID-19 will have the following huge impact:
• Financial support will decline due to the economic impact. This applies from corporates through to individuals. The situation may result in cutting services and may even lead to the staff not being paid. “We have already had to stop fundraising events that we rely on for an income,” he says.
• We have had to shut down our social enterprises, namely our very successful shuttle business and our shop. These measures reduce our income by approximately R30 000 per month.
• We are registered as a community mental health care centre and were due to accept 10 patients at a subsidy of R7,600 each per month from 1 April. Their relocation has now been postponed and the open beds mean a loss of income of R76,000 per month.
• There is a concern about the well-being of our staff. We have to transport them to and from work to avoid them using public transport. This will increase costs.
• Should staff become ill due to the virus, we will have to appoint temporary staff. We believe this crisis will last a few months and will have a huge impact on our finances. We urgently need the following items, for which we have no budget:
* Disposable masks
* Gloves and aprons (we have a staff of 42 people and are still waiting for our stock from the Department of Health)
* Hand sanitiser
* Chemicals for cleaning and disinfecting including washing powder
* Toilet paper
* Food, especially fresh vegetables
Two-way radio system – to ensure access control at the gate
* Towels and facecloths, 200 of each
* Linen savers 1000
* Humidifier x 2

For further information contact Gary on 082 378 2870 or WhatsApp Sr Nellian on 061 084 8814.
Donations can be made through Epilepsy’s website www.epilepsy.ngo or directly into their bank account, Epilepsy SA, Absa Bank (632005) Account 1130720427.