Several other nursing homes in NSW have now adopted the Coota method, which involves special training and protective measures to minimise any risk of infection from relatives who have been coming in, some for many years, to feed their family member.

Adina, a community-owned not-for-profit aged care home, introduced the new method soon after its first lockdown, on March 26.

CEO Jennifer Apps said 11 of the home's 59 residents need full support with meals, with five having families that come in every day to feed their loved ones.

"We thought it would be a pity for this to stop, both for the comfort of the residents and also for the extra load on staff, so we decided to train the family members up with the full hand hygiene, protocols, masks, temperature checks and the like.

"When I discussed that with other organisations they said 'that's a fantastic idea' and followed suit. We're affiliated with PACE, a co-operative of other not-for-profit aged care homes, mostly in the central coast, that shares resources, training and back office functions like payroll. I meet regularly with their CEOs and when we were talking about it they liked the idea and have taken it up themselves."

Every residential room in Adina has a window looking outside, so all residents who wished could have "window meetings" with family, communicating via their mobile phones. PCs were set up in each of the three wings to enable Skype meetings, too.

Adina, and Cootamundra's other aged care home, Southern Cross (reported in last week's Herald), have both been Covid-free so far.

Since the beginning of May, Adina has insisted on all visitors, contractors, anyone who comes in, having a flu vaccination, being temperature checked, and signing a declaration.

Staff members have only been tested for the virus if they have shown symptoms, which has resulted in a couple of people being tested and staying home until the results come through - so far all good.

Adina was in a very strict lock-down from March 26, with only one visit by one person for one hour.

Then from around Anzac Day the home lifted its restrictions gradually, increasing visiting hours and allowing up to two visitors in rooms or outside, not in communal areas.

"We still always had a locked door, so there's not ever been free access, but we increased our visiting hours to twice a day and we were allowing up to two visitors per resident," Ms Apps said.

"But when the second wave hit Victoria we've restricted again, with one visiting hour and all visitors now required to wear a mask.

"We're following the guidelines of Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD), with whom we're closely affiliated as well as the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network, so we've got great support, not just being a single entity on our own.

"I link up for a fortnightly Covid-19 meeting with MLHD and that's so we know exactly what's going on and what each facility is up to."

Adinda is a 62-bed facility, but has left two single rooms it can fully isolate.

"We've left them vacant just in case something does happen and we have to put somebody into isolation."

Adina has approximately 90 staff, many of them part-time, about the equivalent of 60 full-time staff to look after just on 60 residents.

That's almost a one-to-one ratio, although Ms Apps points out the numbers include maintenance, catering, gardening, cleaning, laundry and admin. staff.

Even so, she says, the Board prides itself on the ratio, and on its staff skill levels.

"We have a registered nurse on 24/7 here - there's not a lot of rural facilities that would have that staffing.

"We're very lucky - we lost a lot of long-term staff that were here for a long time, but we've got a lot of new younger staff on board, registered nurses, and we're very fortunate to have them."