Reply to 22% of MD’s cases and 50% of the deaths are in nursing homes

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Reply to "22% of MD’s cases and 50% of the deaths are in nursing homes"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]If the major cause of spread and fatalities have been identified, what makes more sense? Shut society down and send out unemployment checks to millions? Or use a fraction of those funds to provide long term care facilities with proper PPE and rapid tests to quickly identify and contain new outbreaks?

I'm not trying to sacrifice Grandma, I'm saying maybe we should focus on the door to Grandma's house and not Grandma's entire state to protect her. [/quote]

Yes, I've been saying this over and over!  (And I help care for two elderly parents.)  Social distancing does next to nothing to actually help the elderly.

In fact I'd sharpen it to:

I'm saying maybe we should focus on [b]directing resources to[/b] the door to Grandma's house and [b]not diverting resources to[/b] Grandma's entire state to protect her.

If even a fraction of the $$$ spent on stimulus checks and unemployment had been used for training, PPE, testing and hazard pay for nursing/ elderly care workers, (plus delivery services reserved for the medically vulnerable) [b]that [/b]would have actually reduced deaths.[/quote]

Yes, we are not directing  resources where they are most needed by continuing to pretend everyone is equally at risk.  [/quote]

Agreed.  We are literally spending trillions of dollars right now as a country, it seems like some directed investment/measures towards nursing homes/assisted living facilities could go a much longer way to actually protect the residents and workers there than blanket shutdowns, like:

1) Require workers to only work at one facility right now and provide adequate pay to compensate.
2) Provide sick leave and continually test workers
3) Provide adequate PPE

It doesn't take much for this disease to spread through a facility once there- you need to assume that some staff members WILL get it and have measures in place to mitigate spread.[/quote]

These facilities do have quarantine procedures, most of the employees are wearing masks and gloves while interacting with the patients. Most LTCs have banned non-essential visitors from even entering the building. But, remember, that new residents get transferred in from hospital and home situations all the time.  The current residents are in generally poor health and do wind up going to/from the hospital to be treated for all sorts of complications.

While the facilities can take precautions to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus, there is no way that they can guarantee that there won't be an outbreak within their facilities.  Most of these places are doing the best that they can with an extremely terrible situation.  The same can be said for at home care providers.  There is no such thing as a risk free environment for these patients.

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