In a sort of Tyrolean house, surrounded by a garden with huge pines, in the Sierra de Madrid, is one of the Gallic villages of the coronavirus, Mirasierra Cercedilla. While dozens of residences in the region are fighting an unremitting battle against the coronavirus, which has caused 4,953 deaths in Madrid senior centers - between confirmed and suspected - there are zero infections in this private center. "We are clean," says its director, Rocío Pérez Cortés, proudly, and she has reason to be.

The advance, a strict hygiene protocol, the cancellation of certain activities and the confinement of the staff - six auxiliaries who lived alone in their homes stay to sleep in the center during the pandemic - have been the keys to that in this center of adults where around 50 elderly live are all safe and sound. A coronavirus-free arcade.

«We take measures before the recommendations of the Community of Madrid and the state of alarm. On March 1, the doctor and I already considered that the virus would be tremendous if it entered the residences, "says the director, so they decided to get ahead of the enemy. Thus, on day six they called all the relatives to restrict visits. It was two days before the Ministry of Social Policies only recommended that these be "strictly necessary" in the residences, not that it prohibited them, something that for Rocío could have the opposite effect: "When you recommend a family that does not come, the normal thing is that more come to you ».

In parallel, they reduced "provider visits" and reduced non-direct care staff, such as therapists and receptionists, "without ERTE or anything," with the goal of "reducing the vectors" of transmission. As for hygiene protocols, the center already had one that was highly developed due to "the seasonal flu period", which was intensified to fight this virus. Thus, workers who entered and left daily had to come with gloves and a mask, which they took off when they arrived. The shoes had to be sprayed with disinfectant and left in the gym, while the clothes that were brought from outside were placed in a bag that was then collected at the end of the day to change again.

One of the rooms of the residence, yesterday.

Among the particularities of the center was also the prohibition of wearing gloves inside the residence, something that, a priori, may be strange, but which has its explanation. "As there was no infected, we have banned them because psychologically you think you are protected, when in truth you are touching everything and attending to people and in the end it is a cape that has your hand and you are taking the shit everywhere," Rocío reasons. . "So you force yourself to wash your hands often and go much more carefully."

Uniforms are washed in the residence

On the other hand, the uniforms are washed inside the residence. We don't let things be brought from home. The protocol has to be very demanding because nothing can be skipped you can put the bug in the center, "says the director of the center, where the entrance path to the center and the doors outside are disinfected daily. Inside, the five rooms have been used so that the residents were not so close together. "You have to be apart and the food shifts have also been increased from three to six, " says the director. Likewise, the doctor, who also lives exceptionally in a house within the compound, and the nurse perform temperature checks on everyone daily, about 60 people in total, between residents and workers.

Rocío appreciates the help they have received "with masks and gowns" from "contacts" and friends and the close collaboration with the Collado Villalba hospital. "We have had some help from administrations and nearby services, but from the Community of Madrid not everything desired." On the 19th, two days after several deaths were known in a residence in the capital, “an inspector began calling us daily to ask us about cases and infections, for statistical interest and assessment of the situation, and every day they we asked for things. They told us that they were transferring but there was a shortage of materials, "says Rocío, who asks the Community for help again. «As we have anticipated before, we want to do it again, that is why we ask for PCR tests to be proactive; what you have to see is if there is any worker who has it and is asymptomatic to be able to take measures, "explains Rocío. "You have to protect the few residences that are fine."

Meanwhile, the relatives, delighted, because through a WhatsApp group they send them daily "what we call the weather report," jokes the director, who also makes video calls to families to chat with their loved ones. "Today they bring me two tablets and we can do it with Skype or Zoom."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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