Seniors Are Vulnerable Every Day

These days there’s quite a bit of fear and confusion over COVID-19. People are concerned for their loved ones who are residing in nursing homes, partly because of how the coronavirus spreads, and how these care facilities are often set up.

In these trying times, we’re doing our very best to protect our residents from the ravages of this disease. But the effort is in some ways built on the same philosophy that we’ve had ever since we opened here: to protect a vulnerable population from all sorts of harm.

Age and Vulnerability

It’s not just COVID-19 that disproportionately attacks the elderly. Any kind of respiratory illness is much more impactful on seniors, statistically, because of their ages and how our systems become vulnerable as we age. Typically, a younger person just has a better chance of beating the flu or some other virus that creates secondary health conditions like pneumonia.

With that in mind, the best nursing homes already have specific care guidelines and restrictions laid out for nursing home residents. We often answer questions about these before the intake process, as we talk to families about our care philosophy and how we work. These conversations are important to build trust and set the stage for a long term relationship with a family.

Sanitation and Other Protections

We know that hand washing is incredibly important, so we have promoted that for our staff, and set up specific protocols to help shield our seniors from harm. We are working around the clock looking at updated news and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control to evaluate how to best care for the residents in our facility.

But make no mistake – America’s seniors are vulnerable every day. Even before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, many seniors were susceptible to pneumonia and other illnesses from a variety of causes, as well as various types of elder abuse that tragically impact so many of America’s seniors every year, especially where they have no vigilant caregivers looking out for them, or where the family doesn’t have the open communication that it needs from nursing home administration members.

One of the best ways to protect a family member is to partner with a nursing home that cares and puts the effort into common-sense protection safeguards.

Ask questions when you’re looking around at nursing homes. Get to know the care model and philosophy of the leadership and the character and integrity of the staff. You’ll be setting up your elderly loved one for a better quality of long-term care.