More Visitors Needed to Stem COVID in Nursing Homes

By Tom Elias, Palisades News Columnist

More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, no one has done much to stop the near-constant toll the coronavirus has taken among those most vulnerable to it: people living in nursing homes.

It’s well known by now that almost three-fourths of all fatalities from this virus come in the 65-and-up age group, and virtually everyone involved in trying to bring the plague to heel calls continuously for protecting those most prone to infection.

That includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the newest addition to President Trump’s coronavirus task force, Scott Atlas – a scholar at Stanford University’s conservative Hoover Institution think tank, a physician not trained as an epidemics expert. But none of these folks faces up to the obvious: To stem Covid-caused deaths, they will have to do something about the toll in nursing homes.

For of the many fatalities among senior citizens, about two-thirds – or almost half the total deaths – have been residents of the nation’s almost 15,000 nursing homes, just under 2,000 of them in California. That’s because this virus is particularly pernicious when attacking those who are already compromised – and who lives in nursing homes if not previously compromised in some way?

It’s been clear from the pandemic’s beginning last spring that nursing homes – often not prepared for external disasters like wildfires and earthquakes – also were not and still are not generally equipped to stem the virus.

This is because of conditions inside the homes, like frequently leaving disabled patients abed for days at a time, not testing staffers very often for viral exposure and not always establishing social distance within the homes. It’s also because both state and federal governments have failed consistently in responding to appeals from nursing home groups for more supplies of quality personal protection equipment for their workers.

But the most vital keys to stemming the viral tide among those most vulnerable are two items, one very specific to nursing homes, one very general.

First, nursing homes must be allowed, even compelled, to allow more visitors. At the start of the pandemic, nursing homes nationwide stopped allowing any visitors. Not even state inspectors could get in for fear they might bring in contagion. But staff continued to come and go and still does, often working at more than one job because wages in the homes can be very low.

Without visitors, no one can know what really goes on in the homes. Friends and relatives who make contact with residents through ground-floor windows and Facetime or Zoom conversations can barely get an inkling. Nursing home managements love complying with no-visitor rules, as that means no one can monitor their practices.

This makes allowing visitors the most direct way to improve things in the homes. There have been moves in that direction. In California, visitors can enter now, to see one per resident at a time, if a home has had no COVID-19 cases for several weeks and if they dress up in mask, gown and gloves to make sure of sanitation on all sides. But homes with no virus cases for weeks at a time are scarce, so this rule still needs more easing. For visitors have long been the prime control on nursing home practices. They see when patients are dehydrated, not bathed regularly, suffer from bedsores or are not properly distanced from each other.

The second need to cut the death toll in long-term care homes is much more general: a great reduction in cases within the outside community. For as isolated as the residents have become, often causing them enormous mental and emotional distress, staffers in the homes are just the opposite. Besides often working multiple jobs, they frequently live in crowded quarters among people of all ages and health practices and they bring those exposures into the homes daily. When community-wide caseloads rise, that means viral incidence and deaths in nursing homes do, too.

Nursing homes must have three things if the pace of deaths there is to subside: More equipment, better conditions outside the homes and, most important, more visitors so that relatives and others can know what’s going on inside and act on it where needed.

Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net

Related Posts

The Biggest Sports Events of 2024

April 1, 2024

April 1, 2024

Every year produces a wide and diverse array of top sporting events, but 2024 promises to be extra special. Over...

L.A. Jumps Shanghai on Global Financial Centres Index

January 1, 2024

January 1, 2024

The city of Los Angeles reached a critical historical rating on the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), a ranking based...

Palisades Baseball Association’s Spring 2024 Evaluations Scheduled

December 19, 2023

December 19, 2023

The assessment process involves simple tasks such as fielding ground balls in the infield The Pacific Palisades Baseball Association (PPBA)...

California’s Online Gambling Journey: From Social Casinos to Legal Bets

November 23, 2023

November 23, 2023

In California, the allure of online gambling has been a topic of considerable debate and interest, particularly given the state’s...

How to Obtain a California Motor Carrier Permit

September 1, 2023

September 1, 2023

Everyone wanting to operate a trucking company in California must obtain a Californian motor carrier permit (MCP). This permit allows...

Los Angeles Struggling to Enforce Home Sharing Ordinance on Airbnb, VRBO, and Other Platforms

April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023

Better Neighbors LA report highlights the inadequacies of enforcement measures for short-term rentals in Los Angeles, calling for increased regulation...

What Makes Pacific Palisades One of LA’s Most Expensive Neighborhoods

January 10, 2023

January 10, 2023

Pacific Palisades has long been known for its abundance of multi-million-dollar properties, stunning views, and luxurious homes. All of which...

Cancer Cartel Provides Financial Help To Cancer Patients

November 16, 2022

November 16, 2022

Cancer Cartel is helping cancer patients focus on their treatment, not the financial stress of living with a diagnosis. Learn...

L.A. City Council Seeks to Add 100 miles of bus-only lanes Within Five Years

October 17, 2022

October 17, 2022

L.A’s public transportation network is known for being slow due to traffic congestion. A new motion by L.A. City Council...

PPCC Letter on Potential Changes to Palisades Bus Stops

May 23, 2022

May 23, 2022

The following is a letter from the Pacific Palisades Community Council on potential changes to the design of bus stops...

Pali High Student Hosts Free Lemonade Stand to Raise Awareness for Breast Cancer Research

May 11, 2022

May 11, 2022

Palisades High School freshman, Emmy Pynes (15), started Pinkfinity (www.pinkfinity.org) after her aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer at the...

Super Bowl 2023: Will California’s NFL Teams Prosper?

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022

The Los Angeles Rams outperformed the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI, resulting in an NFL title returning to the...

How Does Ecommerce Evolve in 2022?

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022

Ecommerce was proved to be one of the main ways of shopping experience of the future even before Covid-19 pandemic....

Zantac Linked To Higher Risk Of Cancer?

March 9, 2022

March 9, 2022

Zantac, a medication used to relieve heartburn and other stomach problems, has been linked with cancer risk. A study published...

Coastal Palisades Mansion Lists for $14.5 Million

February 25, 2022

February 25, 2022

French inspired mansion features ocean views  By Dolores Quintana A beautiful French inspired coastal mansion has been put on sale...