Nursing homes during the pandemic: At 'Villa Filis', user health comes first

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The past year has been marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which has particularly affected nursing homes and social protection institutions for the accommodation of the elderly and infirm.

Filis Muminović-Alić, a Master of Psychology and Social Work from the Social Protection Institution "Dom Villa Filis", points out for Patria that 2020 was a real challenge for them in business terms.
"In addition to all the regular activities and obligations that are carried out daily in the home, we had to pay great attention to the prevention of the Covid-19 virus," says Muminović-Alić.

Muminović-Alić: A difficult year behind us

She notes that it is still not easy for their users that they do not have physical contact with their families, and some users have not seen their children for over a year.

"Passenger transit is impossible in many countries, and therefore families could not come and visit their loved ones at a time when visits were allowed. Visits are still prohibited as a form of prevention against Covid-19. We strive to maintain daily telephone conversations between users and their families, as well as provide them with emotional support in this situation," adds Muminović-Alić.

The Villa Filis Home currently houses 30 users, and 20 employees care for them.

"The health of our users is our top priority, so we measure vital parameters daily and monitor the users' condition. We have triage at the entrance to our home and strictly ensure that Covid-19 does not spread among users. Every new user admitted to the home must have a Covid-19 test and spend 14 days in isolation. This is certainly stressful for both the user and their family," adds Muminović-Alić.

In the past period, they have cooperated most closely with the Public Health Institute of Sarajevo Canton, which has provided them with support on several occasions in the form of doctors, staff, advice, and further instructions.

"We are immensely grateful for this mutual cooperation. Also, the Cantonal Inspectorate - Inspectorate of Health and Sanitary Protection of Sarajevo Canton has helped us with advice and instructions.

Other institutions to which we have addressed in writing have not been receptive to our current problems and requests. It is important, of course, to emphasize that this is the first pandemic that many doctors and experts in our region have faced, as well as the first serious illness that has occurred during our work. We have been working for 11 years, and the past year has been truly challenging for all of us. We continue the fight against Covid-19 and strive to maintain the quality of our services at the highest level," notes Muminović-Alić.