As of this writing, COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S. Nursing homes, and senior care facilities are becoming the new dangerous battle centers in the novel coronavirus pandemic war; this is now clear how coronavirus is devastating senior living centers. There is no other word for it — it’s quite a devastating crisis.
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to sweep through senior living centers across the country, putting the seniors, staff, families, and the entire community at risk. With the virus spreading pretty fast, we can only imagine the possible worst-case scenario.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 1.5 million seniors who reside in 15,000 registered nursing facilities in the U.SAs of the first week of April, more than 400 long-term care facilities were affected, with hundreds of seniors testing positive for COVID-19. Media reports indicate the results are likely higher.
Coronavirus Spread in Senior Living Centers
The virus is spreading like wildfire not just in the nursing homes, but also in assisted living facilities and other residential care centers that host and care for older adults; this is clear evidence of how those living in such facilities are vulnerable.
Photo by Christian Langballe on Unsplash
Coronavirus in a nursing home calls for an emergency reaction, failure to which the effects become traumatizing. The experts explain the danger as a “perfect killing machine for seniors” since it can quickly move from person to person resulting in lethal consequences.
Well, you all can learn how deadly the virus is once it gets in a nursing home from the first outbreak case in the U.S. that occurred at a Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, infecting at least 129 and killing 35 people.
In the U.S, novel coronavirus continuous to infect people with over 1.8 M people across the 185 counties already affected. More so, all the 50 States, including the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases with New York and New Jersey being the most affected.
Those figures and the intensity of spread shows that the elderly in every State are at high risk, although less than1% of Americans occupy those centers. Although the government and nursing homes management claim to prepare adequately, the recent surge shows there is a need for seriousness.
Let’s have a look at the factors that created a perfect storm that facilitated an outbreak of COVID-19 in nursing, assisted living, and independent living facilities.
Factors Contributing to the Outbreak of COVID-19 in Senior Living Centers
Advocates say that multiple factors resulted in an increase in positive COVID-19 cases in areas that have already confirmed a crisis, and without giving them a quick thought, things get messy, and of course, with casualties.
Due to Close Quarters
Experts argue that seniors’ complexes lack adequate space, with some accommodating more seniors than the capacity can hold. With these, the occupants’ traffic makes it easy to transmit the virus micro-droplets from one person to another. It’s hard to apply the rule of social distancing in various places within the complexes.
Understaffing
Understaffing is a significant problem in many nursing homes, with 75% of these facilities operating without the required staff to occupants’ ratio. Most often, employees have no option other than juggle to attend to as many patients as they can, making it hard to follow the appropriate infection control protocol.
Poorly Paid Staff
With many operating with financial constraints, even paying staff their due becomes a problem. In most centers, it’s not happening because of the novel coronavirus; the fact remains that many of these facilities have been paying their staff poorly, and they don’t even get the sick leave, and end up working when sick; this means danger to the elderly.
Disease Control Deficiencies
Without a doubt, many nursing homes were reluctant about the virus, not until it hit a housing home and left a severe impact in Kirkland, Washington. Still, after that case, more would suffer because some didn’t adhere to rules that authorities have set.
Still, on disease control, many nursing homes are struggling, with workers operating without the personal protective equipment to keep them safe from spreading the virus or even acquiring it from patients. Some facilities preserve the PPEs for special occasions, not knowing the virus is already there.
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These facilities have complained to the administration and government for the lack of adequate test kits and vital equipment. That means not everyone gets tested unless they are symptomatic. In essence, this fails to capture the real data because some might be asymptomatic and transmitting the virus in real-time.
Such risk places require extensive testing and close monitoring of workers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recommends monitoring workers so that they don’t pose a risk to seniors.
Frequent Visitors
After the realization that visitors could pass or introduce the virus to the nursing homes, CMS recommended that all facilities should not allow visitors. If they have to, then there should be no close contact–a conversation through a transparent window is adequate for the safety of both parties.
Lax Government Regulations and Oversight
CMS and state governments have passed many laws and regulations since cases emerged in the respective state or the neighboring states. To be honest, these regulations have caused mixed reactions from the residents, facility owners, and seniors.For instance, California waived the minimum staffing requirements that nursing homes require. Also, not all states report the specific nursing home with the infection, and this poses more danger. The CMS also stated that nursing homes need to allow readmission of seniors who tested positive for COVID-19, a move, though followed in New York, California, and some other states, worried a majority with some saying its extraordinarily ill-advised.
Close Relations in the Complexes
Long-term care facilities are places where everyone feels they’re at home. The closeness of the relationship between the seniors, construction workers, staff, and cooks contributed a lot to the spread, with those living in the homes as couples being greatly affected.
The Staff, Residents and Senior Living Centers Are at Risk
The virus continues to threaten seniors and staff in the facilities as well as communities and family members. The staff has to do their job and check out of the complexes when done with their duty. An infection to the staff means they’ll risk their family members back at home, and also the community within them. Nobody is safe, and this has resulted in severe consequences. Here are the impacts across the country.
Coronavirus Impacts in Senior Living Centers
The current media reports after data analysis, indicate that at least 2300 facilities in 37 states have reported positive cases of COVID-19. These facilities are experiencing a hard time with having so many responsibilities on board.
Late March, a Maryland facility report one case, and in the next day, 64 people tested positive. Another nursing home in Pennsylvania reported that it’d been overwhelmed, and they’ll now assume everyone is positive without even checking — that’s what it is.
The impacts are apparent everywhere. Each day, companies in the assisted living industry struggle with sick residents, state oversights, limited employees, and financial pressures. The majority are in a crisis they have never been before, and they could soon be filing for bankruptcy.
Impacts on the Senior Living Centers Staff
Employees are already overwhelmed with the work on the ground because the confirmed cases need attention, and in some places, seniors keep checking in. An inspection report in one of the facilities in Georgia showed that it sometimes takes a little longer for workers to respond to residents.
The limited staff has exacerbated the situation, with some quitting due to fear of infection while others are getting infected; this leaves living centers devastated, risking the residents.
The importance of adequate staff is now being felt at assisted living facilities as the need for seniors to age in place at affordable places rises like never before. The reality is that even before COVID-19, the surging economy would not allow senior communities to add more workers.
Reports show that in most facilities, seniors now struggle to pay their bills, and this is what the facility needs to keep running. That results in them going back to the drawing board to face these tough times.
Impacts on the Senior citizens and Families
Senior citizens occupy these facilities and, without a doubt, they’re the most vulnerable of the State’s population. 
They are the majority with certain pre-existing conditions like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular problems, and this explains their vulnerability to COVID-19.
Depression seems to get into these facilities than never before. Seniors require a space they’re free to move freely, eat while interacting with their loved ones, exercise, and sleep peacefully. With the pandemic, that’s not possible, and depression slowly gets in.
There is so much panic among the senior citizens in assisted living and independent living facilities, and aging in place is now hard because they fear they might fall victim, the next hour. Special thanks to the attendants because they get some comfort.
Families no longer have adequate time to interact with their loved ones, to keep the virus at bay, and they have to live with that in mind. Limited information about their loved ones is not something easy to live with, but their no other option. Although some are still cautious about the quality of care given, the majority applaud the staff for exceptional work.
Although the CMS has been very aggressive on inspections and ensuring employees follow the guidelines, more facilities have reported infections, and this shows the virus might be beyond control as the coronavirus rages across the nation — surely controlling the spread and protection is a significant problem.
How Senior Living Centers Should Protect Themselves
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has highlighted everything that retirement communities and independent living facilities need to do to prepare and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
When it comes to preparation, they need to get ready for the management of patients, control the visitations and have all the supplies and resources available. Still, they must have in place the appropriate health care considerations, train their staff, resident and visitors, and expand their work capacity.
To prevent infection, the usual rules of handwashing or sanitization with 60–95% alcohol, cough, and respiratory hygiene, wearing the PPEs, environmental cleaning, disinfection, and social distancing must apply.
The Take-Away
It is now in the public domain that senior living centers are now the hotspots of spreading Covid-19. Although the states, federal government, and the management are working around the clock to find solutions, the interventions in place seem not to offer real solutions. The panic has now positioned families in an absolute worst-case scenario, with many trying to pull their loved ones from these facilities.
On the bright side, home care services, that involves hiring an aide can be a viable alternative for senior living because there is close monitoring at 24 hours a day and guaranteed companionship.
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