I Work In A Nursing Home. The Horrors I've Seen During COVID Continue To Haunt Me.
3 years ago

I Work In A Nursing Home. The Horrors I've Seen During COVID Continue To Haunt Me.

Huff Post  

This essay is part of “Survive. That was awful, of course, but I can’t imagine the suffering of the people whose family members were stuck in a room in a nursing home, or a hospital, without being able to hold their hand and say goodbye. It’s taken time for me to be able to say this, but I’m glad my sister died a year before the pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic, a neighbor of mine, whose husband was in the nursing home I worked at, asked me to go and see him to let her know how he was. It took me a long time to share my experiences, but as soon as I was able to talk about it and get everything off my chest that was pulling me down, I started to get better, although it’s been hard to get back to the person I was before.

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History of this topic

People with Covid discharged to care homes over fears for NHS, inquiry told
1 year, 3 months ago

People with Covid discharged to care homes over fears for NHS, inquiry told

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Professor Dame Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer during the pandemic and now …

As COVID infections rise, nursing homes are still waiting for vaccines
1 year, 5 months ago

As COVID infections rise, nursing homes are still waiting for vaccines

Salon  

DALLAS CENTER, Iowa — "Covid is not pretty in a nursing home," said Deb Wityk, a 70-year-old retired massage therapist who lives in one called Spurgeon Manor, in rural Iowa. "There's very little time, given how many nursing home workers work multiple jobs." "There's very little time, given how many nursing home workers work multiple jobs," she said. Swati Gaur, …

Column: Increased staffing for nursing homes? Sure, but the lack of oversight is deplorable
1 year, 6 months ago

Column: Increased staffing for nursing homes? Sure, but the lack of oversight is deplorable

LA Times  

A patient is removed from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside after 39 people tested positive for coronavirus in April 2020. “I think it’s a big deal and a positive step forward for residents,” Chicotel said, citing the proposals’ higher nurse-patient ratios and a 24-7 requirement for RNs to be on site. “The contradiction is stunning,” Chicotel writes …

US will regulate nursing home staffing for first time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped
1 year, 6 months ago

US will regulate nursing home staffing for first time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The federal government will, for the first time, dictate staffing levels at nursing homes, the Biden administration said Friday, responding to systemic problems bared by mass COVID-19 deaths. “I would caution anyone who thinks that the status quo — in which there is no federal floor for nursing home staffing — is preferable to the standards we’re …

Matt Hancock's Pandemic Diaries EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT
2 years, 3 months ago

Matt Hancock's Pandemic Diaries EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

Daily Mail  

He's been the target of so much public anger over Covid. Boris Johnson's advisor Dominic Cummings, pictured in Downing Street on March 12th 2020 Friday, March 13 A call with my fellow G7 Health Ministers. At least 40 care homes have knowingly been using staff with Covid Friday, March 13 2020 Simon Stevens says frail elderly patients who don't need …

COVID-19 updates: Mandatory isolation comes to an end as Australia enters new phase of pandemic — as it happened
2 years, 5 months ago

COVID-19 updates: Mandatory isolation comes to an end as Australia enters new phase of pandemic — as it happened

ABC  

*Sigh* — It looks like I'll be wearing an N95 for the foreseeable future. I haven't had covid yet and don't appreciate that people will be forced to work when sick as they won't receive paid leave- for their sake and for mine! Matthew Pickett — Absolutely crazy - look at what is happening in Europe and the USA now …

Nursing home residents at risk as Covid infections rise 23%
2 years, 5 months ago

Nursing home residents at risk as Covid infections rise 23%

Dutch News  

The number of nursing home residents testing positive for coronavirus rose by 23% over the past week and hospital admissions are also rising, public health institute RIVM said in its Tuesday update. ‘Coronavirus can spread quickly in an open society without far reaching measures,’ the RIVM said. The number of coronavirus particles in waste water shot up 75% over the …

Nursing home residents at risk as Covid infections rise 23%
2 years, 5 months ago

Nursing home residents at risk as Covid infections rise 23%

Dutch News  

The number of nursing home residents testing positive for coronavirus rose by 23% over the past week and hospital admissions are also rising, public health institute RIVM said in its Tuesday update. ‘Coronavirus can spread quickly in an open society without far reaching measures,’ the RIVM said. The number of coronavirus particles in waste water shot up 75% over the …

Company doctors urge businesses to prepare for fall Covid-19 wave
2 years, 8 months ago

Company doctors urge businesses to prepare for fall Covid-19 wave

NL Times  

There is a “real” chance of another peak in coronavirus infections in the fall, and it is therefore essential that companies make preparations to guarantee the continuity of work. According to Jurriaan Penders, company doctor and director of medical affairs at HumanCapitalCare, the increase in absenteeism is almost entirely due to the coronavirus peak in June. But Penders stressed that …

Australians urged to work from home as COVID hospital cases surge
2 years, 8 months ago

Australians urged to work from home as COVID hospital cases surge

Al Jazeera  

Authorities look for ways to reduce strain on health system, after more than 300,000 cases reported in last seven days. Australians have been urged to work from home and wear masks indoors as the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 nears record levels. “We need to do some things differently at least for a short period of time,” Australia’s …

Rising Covid infections prompt nursing homes to ask visitors to use face masks
2 years, 8 months ago

Rising Covid infections prompt nursing homes to ask visitors to use face masks

NL Times  

As the number of coronavirus infections rises again, more and more nursing homes are asking their healthcare workers to wear face masks. Staff shortages are already prompting some nursing homes to let employees work with a coronavirus infection if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, Actiz said to the Volkskrant. Almost 400 nursing homes across the Netherlands reported coronavirus …

Policies on discharging patients into care homes during Covid ruled unlawful
2 years, 10 months ago

Policies on discharging patients into care homes during Covid ruled unlawful

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It has only increased the distress to me and …

I Was A COVID Doctor. Here's The One Thing I Refuse To Do As We 'Get Back To Normal.'
3 years ago

I Was A COVID Doctor. Here's The One Thing I Refuse To Do As We 'Get Back To Normal.'

Huff Post  

A nurse gives medication to a patient with COVID-19 in the medical intensive care unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center on April 24, 2020, in New York City. Health care workers are not OK. As the transition back to “normal” begins, our clinics — echoing the rest of the nation — are moving toward a new stage of the …

Biden to launch ambitious overhaul of nursing home quality
3 years ago

Biden to launch ambitious overhaul of nursing home quality

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union speech to launch a major overhaul of nursing home quality, including minimum staffing levels and steps to beef up inspections while continuing to keep COVID-19 at bay. “Despite the tens of billions of federal taxpayer dollars flowing to nursing homes each year, too many continue to provide poor, …

The pandemic pummeled long-term care – it may not recover quickly, experts warn
3 years, 1 month ago

The pandemic pummeled long-term care – it may not recover quickly, experts warn

NPR  

The pandemic pummeled long-term care – it may not recover quickly, experts warn Enlarge this image toggle caption Jennifer Swanson/NPR Jennifer Swanson/NPR Nursing homes and other long term care facilities have lost a record number of residents and staff to COVID-19 – representing about a quarter of all COVID deaths in this country. "Quite frankly, it's been pretty brutal here," …

A 'silent disaster' took place in nursing homes when Covid-19 hit: OVV
3 years, 1 month ago

A 'silent disaster' took place in nursing homes when Covid-19 hit: OVV

Dutch News  

The Netherlands was not sufficiently prepared for a major infectious disease outbreak when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Dutch safety board OVV said on Wednesday, in the first of three reports on the crisis. The subsequent focus on ‘combating an infectious disease’ meant that other interests – nursing homes, education, cultural institutions, and small and medium-sized businesses – were not …

A 'silent disaster' took place in nursing homes when Covid-19 hit: OVV
3 years, 1 month ago

A 'silent disaster' took place in nursing homes when Covid-19 hit: OVV

Dutch News  

The Netherlands was not sufficiently prepared for a major infectious disease outbreak when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Dutch safety board OVV said on Wednesday, in the first of three reports on the crisis. The subsequent focus on ‘combating an infectious disease’ meant that other interests – nursing homes, education, cultural institutions, and small and medium-sized businesses – were not …

As the Omicron wave devastated Sydney's hospitals, these healthcare workers were in the thick of it
3 years, 1 month ago

As the Omicron wave devastated Sydney's hospitals, these healthcare workers were in the thick of it

ABC  

Healthcare workers are desperate for the public to know what's been happening in our hospitals. Then when someone is actually calling for help and you don't have a life jacket to throw them, but you're telling them, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming until the person drowns. Because we're in a locked area, if something's happening, others can't really see. …

Optimism at L.A. County’s nursing homes as coronavirus surge declines
3 years, 1 month ago

Optimism at L.A. County’s nursing homes as coronavirus surge declines

LA Times  

“The extraordinarily high case rate has not caused a similar high increase in deaths among residents compared to our previous surges. We attribute these lower numbers to very high vaccination rates amongst nursing home residents,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. Los Angeles County’s nursing homes have observed an extraordinary increase in coronavirus case rates during the Omicron …

The nursing home staffing crisis right now is like nothing we've seen before
3 years, 2 months ago

The nursing home staffing crisis right now is like nothing we've seen before

NPR  

The nursing home staffing crisis right now is like nothing we've seen before Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Wenig/AP Seth Wenig/AP The omicron wave is hitting nursing homes hard, with infections among residents and staff reaching record highs in recent weeks. "What we've learned with the pandemic is that when there are large of COVID cases in the general …

COVID cases and deaths are rising again at U.S. nursing homes
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID cases and deaths are rising again at U.S. nursing homes

LA Times  

COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the Omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted. Nursing homes reported a near-record of about 32,000 COVID-19 cases among residents in the week ending Jan. 9, an almost …

COVID deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Nursing homes reported a near-record of about 32,000 COVID-19 …

COVID deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes

Associated Press  

COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted. Nursing homes reported a near-record of about 32,000 COVID-19 cases among residents in the week ending Jan. 9, an almost …

As hospitals reel, California tells coronavirus-positive medical workers to stay on the job
3 years, 2 months ago

As hospitals reel, California tells coronavirus-positive medical workers to stay on the job

LA Times  

Daylong waits in the emergency room. State officials are attempting to address California’s staffing shortage through a sweeping policy change that allows asymptomatic healthcare workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus to return to work immediately. The decision is “irresponsible and a huge mistake that will jeopardize everyone’s health,” said Rosanna Mendez, executive director of SEIU 121RN, a union …

Families struggle to get COVID tests to visit loved ones in nursing and senior homes
3 years, 2 months ago

Families struggle to get COVID tests to visit loved ones in nursing and senior homes

LA Times  

Karen Klink sits next to a sign she used in a protest when it was hard to visit her mother in a memory care facility during a lockdown due to COVID-19 in late 2020. Late last month, as coronavirus cases were skyrocketing, the state declared that nursing homes and other care facilities must require a negative test for COVID-19 for …

500 care workers face redundancy after developing Long Covid
3 years, 2 months ago

500 care workers face redundancy after developing Long Covid

Dutch News  

Over 500 healthcare workers face losing their jobs because they are suffering from Long Covid and have been on sick pay for the regulation two years, according to the FNV trade union federation. The public health institute RIVM estimates 238,000 healthcare workers caught coronavirus and, the FNV says, most of the Long Covid reports they have had come from people …

500 care workers face redundancy after developing Long Covid
3 years, 2 months ago

500 care workers face redundancy after developing Long Covid

Dutch News  

Over 500 healthcare workers face losing their jobs because they are suffering from Long Covid and have been on sick pay for the regulation two years, according to the FNV trade union federation. The public health institute RIVM estimates 238,000 healthcare workers caught coronavirus and, the FNV says, most of the Long Covid reports they have had come from people …

Facing a new flood of COVID patients, Colorado nurses say the stress is unsustainable
3 years, 3 months ago

Facing a new flood of COVID patients, Colorado nurses say the stress is unsustainable

NPR  

Facing a new flood of COVID patients, Colorado nurses say the stress is unsustainable Enlarge this image toggle caption Hart Van Denburg/CPR News Hart Van Denburg/CPR News Harold Burch lives in a home with a spectacular view in Paonia, a rural part of Colorado's Western Slope. Sponsor Message "It's really frustrating because I did the right thing and like so …

COVID-era nursing home staff crunch hurting hospitals, too
3 years, 3 months ago

COVID-era nursing home staff crunch hurting hospitals, too

Associated Press  

Pennsylvania nursing homes say they are coping with dire staffing shortages that have forced many of them to stop accepting new residents, which in turn is preventing hospitals jammed with COVID-19 patients from discharging those who require lower levels of care. The workforce crunch at skilled nursing homes and personal care facilities is having a spillover effect on hospitals, which …

Covid deaths in nursing homes back to pre-vaccines 2nd wave level, expert says
3 years, 3 months ago

Covid deaths in nursing homes back to pre-vaccines 2nd wave level, expert says

NL Times  

One in five vaccinated nursing home residents who contracted the coronavirus in recent months has died. This autumn, the total number of infections in nursing homes was considerably lower than last autumn, during the second wave. "We've known from the start that vaccines are not 100 percent effective," said the professor, who is also a member of the Outbreak Management …

Care homes treated as ‘afterthought’ during first wave of pandemic, finds report
3 years, 5 months ago

Care homes treated as ‘afterthought’ during first wave of pandemic, finds report

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A joint inquiry by the Science and Technology Committee and the Health and Social …

Nursing home staffing falls as patients plead for help
3 years, 5 months ago

Nursing home staffing falls as patients plead for help

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — One in three U.S. nursing homes has fewer nurses and aides than before the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the truth of a profit-driven industry with too few caring for society’s most vulnerable. The American Health Care Association, which lobbies for care facilities, said its polling of members last month found 99% of nursing homes and 96% of assisted …

Covid Australia Melbourne nurse's letter EXPLODING at anti-vaxxer protesters while people die alone
3 years, 6 months ago

Covid Australia Melbourne nurse's letter EXPLODING at anti-vaxxer protesters while people die alone

Daily Mail  

A furious nurse' union leader has blasted anti-vaxxers rampaging through Melbourne streets and said protesters claiming to be healthcare workers were really not, as the genuine ones were caring for the dying. Nurse Lisa Fitzpatrick, 59, fired off a 310 word tirade at the right-wing mob who hijacked the tradies rally and sparked violent scenes throughout the city Some protesters …

The Push For Nursing Home Reform In The Middle Of A Pandemic : 1A
3 years, 6 months ago

The Push For Nursing Home Reform In The Middle Of A Pandemic : 1A

NPR  

The Push For Nursing Home Reform In The Middle Of A Pandemic Enlarge this image toggle caption Hugh Hastings/Getty Images Hugh Hastings/Getty Images According to AARP, at least 186,000 nursing home residents and staff have died from COVID-19. For many, the pandemic has exposed cracks in our long-term care system — such as staffing shortages and unenforced rules. Aging adults …

COVID-19 looms over rescue efforts amid storm’s devastation
3 years, 6 months ago

COVID-19 looms over rescue efforts amid storm’s devastation

LA Times  

New Orleans firefighters assess damages as they look through debris Monday after a building collapsed from the effects of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. “We really need our hospitals more than anything else to come back up so that people in ICUs can receive the lifesaving care they need,” he said — including COVID patients on ventilators. “I’ll be honest …

DOJ won’t investigate how Pennsylvania handled nursing homes
3 years, 8 months ago

DOJ won’t investigate how Pennsylvania handled nursing homes

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Justice Department told Gov. Tom Wolf’s office on Thursday that it has decided not to open an investigation into whether Pennsylvania violated federal law by ordering nursing homes to accept residents who had been treated for COVID-19 in a hospital. The letter comes 11 months after the department told the governors of Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey …

New virus surge sends younger patients to Spain’s hospitals
3 years, 8 months ago

New virus surge sends younger patients to Spain’s hospitals

Associated Press  

BARCELONA, Spain — Julio Miranda had never felt the threat of the coronavirus too close. “It’s only when the virus hits you that you take it much more seriously,” Miranda said this week from a hospital room overlooking Barcelona’s beachfront where he recovered after a week in intensive care, conscious but connected to a machine aiding his oxygen intake. Spain’s …

For the first time no new coronavirus infections or deaths in nursing homes
3 years, 9 months ago

For the first time no new coronavirus infections or deaths in nursing homes

NL Times  

No new coronavirus infections or deaths were registered in the past 24 hours in nursing homes, NU.nl wrote on Saturday evening. It is the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 the number of infections and coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes was zero, the Ministry of Health confirmed. In the regular nursing ward, the number of …

New COVID-19 cases plummet at Louisiana’s nursing homes
3 years, 10 months ago

New COVID-19 cases plummet at Louisiana’s nursing homes

Associated Press  

— Louisiana’s nursing homes, once the deadly epicenters of the state’s coronavirus outbreak, have seen new cases of COVID-19 plummet at their facilities this year as most of the facilities’ residents have gotten vaccinated. It’s the seventh week in which Louisiana’s approximately 275 nursing homes reported fewer than 30 new cases, according to state data. Inside the facilities, the change …

Slight drop in coronavirus cases as hospitals warn 'code black' looms
3 years, 11 months ago

Slight drop in coronavirus cases as hospitals warn 'code black' looms

Dutch News  

A further 9,292 new coronavirus cases were reported to public health institute RIVM in the 24 hours to Friday morning, down from Thursday’s high of 9,648 but still well above the weekly average. Despite the slight decline, acute care association chairman Diederik Gommers told podcast Virusfeiten that some hospital chiefs have told him they expect to be in the highest …

Some NY nursing homes proved helpless in face of virus surge
4 years ago

Some NY nursing homes proved helpless in face of virus surge

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — As the coronavirus made an end-of-the-year surge across New York, few nursing homes escaped unscathed. Yet the virus still got into facilities like the Commons, where 90-year-old Constance Cuddy, a former nurse being treated for Alzheimer’s disease, died Jan. 17 from COVID-19 complications, according to her family. The Elcor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, about 60 miles south …

Provincial Italian hospital overrun by virus variant
4 years ago

Provincial Italian hospital overrun by virus variant

Associated Press  

CHIARI, Italy — The 160-bed hospital in the Po River Valley town of Chiari has no more room for patients stricken with the highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first identified in Britain that has put hospitals in Italy’s northern Brescia province on high alert. That history was repeating itself one year after Lombardy became the epicenter of Italy’s pandemic was …

A Pandemic Year for Women: Notes on negotiating the coronavirus crisis as a healthcare worker
4 years ago

A Pandemic Year for Women: Notes on negotiating the coronavirus crisis as a healthcare worker

Firstpost  

EDITOR’S NOTE: A UN report from September 2020 on the economic toll of COVID-19 on women, notes that “the impacts of crises are never gender-neutral”. The report delves into the many ways women have been disproportionately affected, financially, by the ongoing pandemic: For instance, industries that predominantly employ women have been worst-affected; women’s paid labour and women-run businesses are hardest …

Covid restrictions in nursing homes may be relaxed on Monday: Report
4 years ago

Covid restrictions in nursing homes may be relaxed on Monday: Report

NL Times  

The cabinet may announce as early as Monday that several corona measures in nursing homes will no longer apply or become more flexible. The Outbreak Management Team is examining the issue whether relaxation in nursing homes is already possible, now that most people there have received an injection against the coronavirus. “We certainly want to offer the relief of measures …

COVID-related nursing home deaths in Pennsylvania fuel blame
4 years, 1 month ago

COVID-related nursing home deaths in Pennsylvania fuel blame

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania on Thursday used a hearing to ask Gov. Tom Wolf’s top health official whether it was a mistake to order COVID-19 patients to be readmitted to nursing homes, although it is far from clear that the policy led to an outbreak or death. Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny, repeated that claim — that the …

Cuomo vows to “call out” criticism of nursing home response
4 years, 1 month ago

Cuomo vows to “call out” criticism of nursing home response

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his health commissioner offered a full-throated defense Friday of their March decision to require nursing homes to accept patients recovering from COVID-19, saying it was the best option at the time to help free up desperately needed beds at the state’s hospitals. Questions also go back months about whether the state made a …

Cuomo defends handling of nursing homes Covid tragedy
4 years, 1 month ago

Cuomo defends handling of nursing homes Covid tragedy

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “New York was ground zero for Covid, and nursing homes were and still are …

AP: Over 9,000 virus patients sent into NY nursing homes
4 years, 1 month ago

AP: Over 9,000 virus patients sent into NY nursing homes

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes early in the pandemic under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it accelerated outbreaks, according to new records obtained by The Associated Press. The new number of 9,056 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more …

AP: Over 9,000 virus patients sent into NY nursing homes
4 years, 1 month ago

AP: Over 9,000 virus patients sent into NY nursing homes

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy More than 9,000 recovering …

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