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What Can You Do to Protect Your Loved One in a Nursing Home During the Pandemic?

March 20, 2020 By Barry Crimmins

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable to the disease. How to try to ensure that your loved one stays healthy? 

The first thing you can do is research the nursing home. While you likely made inquiries before your loved one moved in, you may not have gotten into specifics about the facility’s policies for preventing infection. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a factsheet that covers key questions to ask nursing home officials about their infection prevention policies, including:

  • How does the facility communicate with family when an outbreak occurs?
  • Are sick staff members allowed to go home without losing pay or time off? 
  • How are staff trained on hygiene?
  • Are there private rooms for residents who develop symptoms?
  • How is shared equipment cleaned?

You can also check on staffing levels. Facilities that are understaffed may have workers who are rushing and not practicing good hand-washing. There are no federal minimum staffing levels for nurses aides, who provide the most day-to-day care, but the federal government recommends a daily minimum standard of 4.1 hours of total nursing time per patient. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the CDC have issued guidance to nursing homes to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including restricting all visitors except in end-of-life situations. You should follow the rules of the facility. If the facility is not limiting or not allowing visitors, do not try to break the rules. 

You should check with the facility to make sure it is following the guidance from CMS and the CDC, which includes recommendations to do the following:
•    Restrict all visitors, with exceptions for compassionate care
•    Restrict all volunteers and nonessential health care personnel 
•    Cancel all group activities and communal dining
•    Begin screening residents and health care personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms
•    Put hand sanitizer in every room and common area
•    Make facemasks available to people who are coughing
•    Have hospital-grade disinfectants available

To read the detailed guidance from the CDC, click here.

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Law Offices of Barry R. Crimmins, PC

Elder Law News - May 2022 Thumbnail

Elder Law News, May 2022

With healthcare and nursing homes being a hot topic as of late, you may have some questions regarding your care or the care of a loved one. If so…

Elder Law NEWS - April 2022

Elder Law News, April 2022

In 2022, change remains constant. But, as it applies to eldercare, some shifts are favorable, while others could directly impact the financial stability and level of care your loved one receives. 

Elder Law NEWS - March 2022

Elder Law News, March 2022

If you or a loved one were hospitalized and put under observation status, don’t worry – you have the right to appeal. The CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) recently announced that beneficiaries could appeal a hospital’s decision to assign observation status.

February 2022 newsletter

Elder Law News, February 2022

If you’re among the growing numbers of caregivers, each day that passes brings an increased chance of needing long-term care. Unfortunately, for many senior citizens, that means living in a nursing home or other type of care facility which could be understaffed or under stress due to COVID-19 or various other reasons. 

Elder Law News, January 2022

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the amounts taxpayers of different ages can deduct from their 2022 income as a result of buying long-term care insurance, and the figures are almost the same as in 2021.

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