Madison Valley Manor

Gail Elser was recently awarded the 2022 Adult Volunteer of the Year by the Montana Healthcare Association. The following was adapted from the nomination by Alison Veland and printed on the program.

One of Madison County’s nursing homes is currently in outbreak status after a staff member recently tested positive for the coronavirus.

As of April 27, Madison County reported 18 active coronavirus cases. There have been 775 confirmed positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic. No residents are currently hospitalized.

During the Madison County Commissioner’s weekly meeting on Feb. 23, the commissioners unanimously moved to approve authorization for filling two nursing home administrator positions in-house at both county nursing facilities and approved advertising the position in-house for five days. The positions will be permanent, full-time and exempt.

As of Tuesday morning, only one Madison Valley Manor (MVM) resident remained in quarantine and the Covid unit inside MVM has been taken down after an outbreak on Jan. 10. Six staff members are still in quarantine.

“Let me just take all my gear off,” Alison Veland, MVM administrator in training, said.

A positive COVID-19 case was reported at Madison Valley Manor (MVM) late last week.

It may not have been a holiday season full of gatherings at Madison County nursing homes, but nursing home administrators-in-training from Madison Valley Manor and Tobacco Root Mountains Care Center told the Madison County Board of Commissioners at their weekly meeting on January 5 that holiday spirits were still high.

Many studies agree that social interaction is important for maintaining quality of life for seniors, some noting it can prevent illness by boosting the immune system. It is almost common knowledge, as is the idea that art can be used to bring people together and has since we learned  how to share crayons in kindergarten.