Pioneer Manor resident talks about life inside facility during COVID-19 outbreak

A resident of Pioneer Manor says he feels safe, despite the fact that this week, four staff and three residents tested positive for COVID-19.

Mick Lowe has lived at the city run facility for almost a decade. He said those who tested positive have been moved away from everyone else, and staff are taking precautions to keep everyone safe.

People are being fed in their roomsto keep them out of the dining area.

"This is quite a logistical feat," the well-known author and journalist said. "A lot of extra hands and feet [are] needed to do this. Normally we go to the food, now the food has to come to us."

Lowe said the city has moved some of its other workersto the facility to help out.

Fear and shock

Residents who tested positive are now in an area away from everyone else, andstaff are wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

When the positive cases were identified, Lowe says it was a bit of a scare.

"I'm told that the employees in question ... left the building in tears. So it was a shock and terrifying. It's not just the fear for yourself it's the fear for your family," he said.

"Personal support workers (PSWs) are really held in low esteem by society until now. Now you see all these tributes to essential workers and, of course, all these people are deemed essential. We've got to have them. I'm absolutely dependent on them and now they're seen as the true heroes that they are. I'm sorryit's taken this long."

Lowe said he worries less about the COVID-19 pandemic and more aboutthe entire model of long term care that "is clustering old folkstogether." And he worries about the shortage of PSWs.

"It's not sustainable. PSWs are absolutely worth their weight in gold. No one wants to do thework. There's nobody coming up the pipeline. The kids don't want to do it," he said.

"And let me tell you, it's nasty, heavy, dangerous work. I certainly understand why nobody wants to do it."

Lowe said he believes the outbreak of COVID-19 can be "calmed down" in long term care homes like Pioneer Manor.

"If we just follow the drill and just hunker down I think we'll be ok."