amitebird Asked March 2020
I just discovered my mother's AL which is on lockdown has admitted another resident. What do you think?
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According to my mother this woman came from "above New Orleans" which is high risk area here. I am going to call but what do you think?
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It would be great if all admissions were quarantined for 14 days, though.
When mom's facility first mentioned potential lock down, one person told me those in IL would NOT be able to enter the common areas if they go outside. I believe they have a separate entrance area (not for each room, unless it opens to the back yard area maybe.) The latest update basically said all the common areas will be closed, residents are to stay in their rooms, have meals delivered to rooms, etc. MC will continue to allow free-roaming within the MC area only (no going outside MC for anything, other than necessary Dr appts.) I am sure the IL people can go out, but they will be shut off from the rest of the AL section.
Hard also to have an exterior entrance to AL units if on second floor, as mom's place has. The "interior" MC rooms would only have access to garden area, and the rooms are not large, so another door takes away "living" space. The "exterior" facing rooms would have the same space issues and there's a lot of shrubbery around the building. ANY secondary entrance in MC would have to be locked all the time, only unlocked if they need to come in that way. This would cost more money too.
I don't see any simple solution to this, other than having some kind of isolation area. By the time one realizes isolation is needed, in the current situation anyway, it has likely already spread to most residents and staff.
I am extremely grateful!
I hope your mom’s facility will stay safe. Lambeth House here has had a few deaths related to the virus.
Tulane University was asked to study the virus and how it spreads through testing at their primate center in Covington, LA.
Her temperature was taken, and she was showered/washed as soon as she entered. Her clothing was brought to laundry and she was put in a Johnny until her clothes were returned.
I am grateful they let her in and I feel they did a good job with precautions. She is private pay and they did have an open private room - so in her case she is further quarantined.
Will make visiting so much easier on us when the quarantine is lifted 😉
All of the people are being quarantined. They are practicing social distancing. What else can be done?
This new resident is being quarantined so they are not in contact with each other. Personnel are washing up, wearing gloves. What else can be done?
AL do not have to stay open, they can shut down with very little notice. AL, like IL, are not mandated by Medicare or regulatory agencies to provide for safe discharge / transfer like a NH aka skilled nursing care facility does. AL can decide to close. It’s AL and so the residents - in theory - can “do” for themselves with a bit of assistance. Facility can close their doors like manana and residents & their families have to just flat figure it out on their own. Also as AL is not skilled, staff do not have to have on hand the safety & sanitation (masks, spill bags, gloves) that a NH must. If AL can’t provide these, staff is gonna walk, they are not going to jeopardize their life, health, their family. Plus they can now go over to one of the hospitals and get a new job with a signing bonus.
The Lambeth House outbreak happened in the IL / AL section (23 cases with 4 confirmed Covid-19 deaths). The NH / SNc part (St Anna’s) only has 1 case which happened after the initial outbreak. What happened at Lambeth imo will put pressure other AL in Louisiana to seriously think about closing. Lambeth is pretty unique as it’s a very well off CCRC (buy-in abt 300k) and has partnered with Oschner for preventive care and research studies for IL, AL, NH, MC. It’s a well run facility with lots, lots of amenities & lots of staff. It puts out menus for its restaurant. It has $$$$ to pay for staff, it’s private pay & al la carte for care for AL, NH & MC services. It has its own foundation & does annual fundraiser/ auction..... it’s not a low profit margin AL or NH. But cause it’s IL/AL where Covid took off from, there not much the administration could have done as residents come & go. Lots of Lambeth residents have cars and drive; it’s a CCRC.
my point is, realize that all this is a balance. If folks panic pressure to IL & AL facilities, they can just shutter.
I live in New Orleans. It is really strange right now. Some of it does remind me of Katrina. My husband’s office is on Fulton Street in the Warehouse District and they sent everyone home last week. The entire firm is working from home. I am so thankful he wasn’t traveling. My husband travels a lot, here in the US and international travel too.
The cases of the virus are increasing in Jefferson Parish.
Awful about Lambeth House. Really sad about Dr. Lancaster. Sad about all of the deaths.
Did you see that church in Baton Rouge on the news for holding a service with 300 people? That was crazy.
My daughter is in Baton Rouge. She graduates from LSU this year.
Ours is on total lockdown except for hospice. And has been PRIOR to the orders that came out.
https://youtu.be/G-HGTwY2XGw
This is a good video up to date from CDC about long term care facilities.
You're going to call - what do you want them to say? Assuming that your mother's information is correct, what's your better idea of what everyone should do *now*?
But how many times can they do that? Realistically, in not very much time the option will be between workers who might be carriers, or nobody.
Moreover, reducing staff numbers will further overload those carrying on, which will make them more vulnerable to infection.
We have to be clear-sighted about this. We are containing and delaying mass infection for as long as possible so as not to be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in case numbers. But it is not going to be possible indefinitely, and we had better think more about caring for people who are ill instead. Forget intensive care and aggressive therapy, I'm talking about relieving symptoms and (God willing) nursing them through it.
Hospitals are having to release elderly patients before they usually would to open up healthcare resources for the flood of COVID patients. That means there has to be Skilled Nursing Facility space for them to go to to recover. And that means that the SNFs are going to have to open up space for them by discharging less frail residents to ALs (or a relative's home, if there's someone to care for them).
Depending upon whether or not we acted fast enough to 'flatten the curve' (in the absence of test results that would have guided the decision), we could be in for a situation where we will just have to do what we have to do. Old rules will no longer apply.
The hospital probably needs the bed. In the Executive order President Trump signed last week CMMS regulations and rules may be relaxed in some areas to permit Medicare/Medicaid to waive time periods etc to get beds in an acute hospital opened up.
Yes it’s scary but as CM said, at this time think to yourself whether it would or would not be helpful to call the facility as we are in a worldwide pandemic.