NASHUA – Like other nursing care facilities, the Courville at Nashua, 22 Hunt St., has been forced to shelter in place, for the care of its residents and patients as well as its staff. That includes a strict no-visitor policy.

Despite that, the Courville vice president Ryan Courville said the staff “has been amazing.”

“Everyone has been a true professional,” he added. “And when you’re dealing with something like this – a once in a lifetime pandemic – I tell my children I never thought I would see in my lifetime and hoped they never would either.”

Courville said his staff has received a lot of well-deserved praise for their commitment to the residents.

“We’ve received a lot of encouragement from families about our staff,” he said. “And there’s been a lot of emphasis on the dedication that they’ve shown.”

From a nursing care facility vantage, places like the Courville may not necessarily be viewed as salient, like St. Joe’s Hospital or Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, but safety and care during the COVID-19 outbreak is critical.

“Certainly, from a healthcare perspective, we’re not on the direct front lines like our hospital workers, who are incredible individuals,” said Courville. “But the time and requirements of what we’re asking – it’s been a lot put on our staff quickly, but their reaction has been great.”

Touting his leadership team, Courville explained that it’s a matter of addressing questions when they arise. There have also been many changes across the board in hospitals and healthcare units, including the sequestering of patients and barring visitors from entering the building.

“We immediately set up several different means of communication,” he said. “Either through technology, email or phone calls, or the old-fashioned way with mail and cards. Some residents do have access to their own cellphones, but for those who didn’t have access to Facetime or Skype or Zoom, we’ve introduced that into the community, much more than we have before.”

Window visits, where a loved one greets their family through their room window, has also become commonplace. Courville said, however, that the decision for the lockdown wasn’t a difficult one.

“It was something that had to be done,” he stated. “Nationally, that’s been the case universally.”

“We know that there is a risk that people who appear healthy will enter nursing homes and assisted living communities and still infect residents,” said Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive at the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

The government also told nursing home officials to cancel all group activities and communal dining

Health officials made the same recommendation for assisted living facilities, where older people who have fewer nursing needs live in close quarters. Assisted living, independent living and continuing care communities are primarily under individual states’ oversight.

But because the Courville doesn’t operate with the traffic of a hospital emergency department, supplies have not been an issue.

“We have paper products and sanitary products, paper towels,” he noted. “We haven’t had any supply shortages. We’ve been taking advantage with what we have. There’s been much focused on conservation. We are in that mentality right now.”

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