Stopping COVID19 in Nursing Homes is No Easy Task

My city, Louisville KY, recently had a spike in COVID19 infections. It came from a handful of nursing homes. That nursing home and long-term care facilities account for large percentages of COVID19 cases has been well documented. In some cities, the majority of cases come from these facilities. These facts have sprouted platitudes about “protecting our elderly.” What makes this a platitude is that it belies the challenges faced by nursing facilities. Two recent papers shed light on these challenges. First is an article by Chris Pope in the City Journal. Second is an academic-like defense of Stockholm City’s elderly care. The latter paper came in response to the former chief epidemiologist of the Public Health Agency of Sweden Johan Giesecke who bluntly said that Sweden has failed in protecting those in elderly care. My wife spent a handful of years practicing palliative care and hospice in nursing homes. Her stories confirm the challenges brought out in both these papers. I don’t think many people get the reality of life in nursing facilities. Taken from these two articles, here are 7 challenges for protecting people from COVID19 who live in nursing facilities: Residents spend most of their day in close contact with others, indoors, eating meals together, often sharing rooms, and needing high-touch care from caregivers who move room to room.How can you social distance when residents need on average of four hours daily of ...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs