Coronavirus outbreak causes continued concerns

Amid all the talk of the Coronavirus, the most vulnerable threat is to the elderly community. Tuesday, the National Center for Assisted Living and the American Health Care Association released new guidelines to help protect nursing home residents from Coronavirus. Wednesday, the Louisiana Nursing Home Association (LNHA) asked the public not to visit nursing homes in Louisiana.
The LNHA represents over 250 assisted living communities and nursing facilities which care for around 25,000 senior and disabled residents in the state. Heritage Manor in Ville Platte deferred questions to the Louisiana Nursing Home Association. Prairie Manor in Pine Prairie said they are following CDC guidelines.
Mark Berger, executive director of LNHA, said, “LNHA asks that the public support efforts to protect nursing facility residents by not visiting a nursing facility until further notice in order to limit potential exposure.” He added, “Loved ones should call the nursing facility to arrange alternative ways to communicate with residents.”
Nursing home staff around the country are being told to ask visitors if they have respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, sore throat, or cough, and to wash their hands before any contact with residents. The centers for Medicare and Medicaid services have also released similar guidelines, as does the Louisiana Department of Health.
The president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine, Dr. Michael Wasserman, said, “This is the greatest threat to nursing home residents we have seen in many years, if not ever.” Dr. Richard Baron, a geriatrician and president of the American Board of Internal Medicine, said, “Older folks don’t have the reserve to handle illnesses. They really are fragile, and their clinical status can change very quickly.”
An example of how dangerous the virus is to nursing homes happened at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington where 18 residents died from contracting the Coronavirus in the past month, and at least 31 have tested positive. On average, fewer than seven residents have passed away each month at the facility. There are no confirmed cases of the virus in Louisiana nursing home facilities at this time.
Wasserman also said, “If there is one single thing that matters most right now, it’s that if someone has a fever or cough or feels sick, do not visit a nursing home.” He added there should be no exceptions.
These new precautions can be difficult on nursing home residents who need to engage with loved ones in the outside world. Some facilities are finding alternative methods to help seniors visit with their families. One facility in Georgia is offering residents cell phones to have video conferences with their families.
The threat of Coronavirus is a frightening concept, especially to seniors who are more susceptible than younger adults. Now the elderly also need to worry about becoming targets for scammers promising cures for the virus. The state of Missouri is suing televangelist Jim Bakker and Morningside Church Productions for selling a fake cure for the virus. Missouri said they violated a state law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office wrote in its application for a temporary restraining order, Bakker falsely promised “consumers that Silver Solution can cure, eliminate, kill or deactivate Coronavirus and/or boost elderly consumers’ immune system and help keep them healthy when there is, in fact, no vaccine, pill, potion or other product available to treat or cure Coronavirus disease 2019.” Bakker and his company are based in the state. The World Health Organization said there is no specific medicine to prevent or treat the disease known as COVID-19, aka Coronavirus.
The CDC and other organizations, including the Offices of Medicare and Medicaid, urge good hygiene, especially thoroughly washing hands. They also recommend avoiding people who are sick, and to clean and disinfect high-touch areas around your home and workplace. Additionally, it is beneficial to avoid crowded places, especially those with poor ventilation. In Louisiana the flu is still active, but Coronavirus continues to spread, with at least 33 presumptive cases in the state. Many nursing homes are restricting visitation access to the facilities, allowing only staff and medical professionals, with sone exceptions to families with end-of-life circumstances. Check with your nursing home before visiting.