Covid-19
Nursing home facilities across the country have all acted swiftly to put in place emergency measures to help keep their residents safe amid the Covid-19 global pandemic. Following a national state of emergency as declared by president Donald Trump on March 13th , 2020 , all nursing homes have ceased permit-able entry of all outside visitors. Given the severity of Covid-19 symptoms amongst the elderly along with its fatality rate, all nursing home operators felt ceasing all outside visits to be crucial in minimizing exposure for this vulnerable population. The fact is that, given the contagious nature of this virus along with its delayed symptom period in some, just a single case could spread easily amongst the entire community, leaving many vulnerable.
No outside visits
Nursing homes have also halted all group activities amongst residents such as group dining and entertainment. In addition to this, residents are also being closely monitored for any symptoms of Covid-19 such as fever or respiratory related issues. The goal is to preserve the health of all residents and avoid any mass contaminations amongst residents. These added precautions are necessary throughout these unprecedented times however, they have left many loved ones of of these nursing home residents more concerned than ever. Countless friends and family feel uneasy about being unable to visit their loved ones within their nursing homes facilities. Some individuals are accustomed to visiting their loved ones up to multiple times a day stating they typically help care for their resident. Many are concerned that without being able to visit their loved ones they are now lacking essential care typically provided through their visits such as feedings and readings.
How to stay in touch
It is important to note that individuals infected with Covid-19 can take up to 2-14 days before showing any symptoms and some can even remain asymptomatic throughout their entire contagion period. This makes it easy to spread the virus to your loved ones without even knowing so and therefore, it is crucial that we practice physical distancing from all vulnerable populations. However, this does not mean you must cease all communications with you loved ones and we advise you practice remote communication with your loved ones to continue to offer support.
- Check in via phone call
- Facetime when possible
- Ask questions regarding meals, hygiene, and if they feel unwell
- Sign up for the facilities newsletter for updates
- Ask the questions you need answers to
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