Are nursing homes safe during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Data shows older people and those with diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and other chronic illnesses are at higher risk than the general population. Unfortunately, nursing home residents generally fall into the most vulnerable category. Not only that, but some studies show at least 40% of all COVID deaths have been in nursing homes – a staggering number when you consider that people in nursing homes only make up about 0.4% of the U.S. population.
Other factors beyond age and chronic health conditions have contributed to these statistics including:
- Frequent close/physical contact with facility employees
- Shortages of testing and personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Many residents have roommates
- The transfer of COVID patients from hospitals to nursing homes
These are few pieces to the puzzle of why people in facilities are at such high risk.
When the pandemic hit, many facilities were caught blindsided. In effort to slow the spread and to minimize risk, they restricted visitors, eliminated group dining and activities, and began doing daily COVID evaluations on residents.
What about mental health of nursing home residents?
“Nursing home residents aren’t getting half of our resources or half of our attention, yet they account for roughly half of the deaths,” says David Grabowski, PhD, Harvard Medical School.
Measures taken to protect the physical health of patients increase the chances of unfortunate mental health side effects. Residents have lost access to communal dining, visitors from the outside world, exercise, and even sunlight and fresh air.
Not only are residents not receiving visitors like they used to, but the people they do see are behind masks. A smile goes a long way, but not if the smile is hidden.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the added difficulty placed upon staff members. “I didn’t sign up for this” has probably never been more true. Spending long hours in uncomfortable PPE, concerns of contracting the virus and bringing it home, staff shortages, and witnessing the toll of COVID on patients are all factors all wear on a person. This added wear and tear not only affects employees, but it also has an unseen effect on the residents.
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