Tuff Home seeks to return to normal after several weeks of COVID-19 outbreak

While the rest of the region struggles with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills is seeing a return to normal after an outbreak took the lives of nine residents and sickened many others.
In all, there were 39 confirmed cases among residents over the course of several weeks, and 19 confirmed staff members.
“Families were very understanding of the situation and we tried to keep them informed the best we could throughout the outbreak,” said Tuff Home administrator Eli Ripley.
“Families called in frequently asking about their loved ones as well, and the nurses did a great job at reporting on the residents to the families.”
Ripley said symptoms ranged from no symptoms at all to weakness and fatigue while some had a cough, some GI issues, and shortness of breath.
“It affects everyone so differently with all the different symptoms people can exhibit,” he said.
At the height of the outbreak, Minnesota National Guard helped with some COVID testing processes, and the Minnesota Department of Health sent a surveillance team to Hills to monitor the situation at the Tuff Home.
“The state visit is to be expected during something like this. It created a little more chaos in an already chaotic time, but we did learn a lot from it and it certainly helped us going forward throughout the outbreak,” Ripley said.
“We have since changed the way we look at certain COVID symptoms and try to identify them quicker and react after the analysis of the symptom to help potentially prevent further spread throughout the facility.”
Over all, Ripley praised the Tuff Home nurses and staff.
“I cannot say enough about my staff as they stepped up tremendously during this hectic and scary time. It isn't just a job to them as they truly care and are dedicated to these residents. We came together as a team to overcome this difficult time and it has made us stronger because of it.”
He said the community and other nursing homes were supportive by helping onsite and having meals brought in to boost morale.
“When you are in the middle of it, it is easy to feel overwhelmed,” Ripley said. “But you just have to take it one day at a time and attack each day with the main priority of taking care of the residents in mind.”
He said he’s grateful for encouragement from the community during and since the outbreak.
“It is a time that no facility wants to experience, but we are fortunate to be in such a great community that it made going through it a little easier with all the support we received,” he said.
“Our main goal now is to get the Tuff Memorial Home back to normal operations and continue to provide the best care we can to our residents going forward.”