Sending covid patients to nursing homes in Minnesota

I agree wholeheartedly...after what I saw today,, Ocean City Webcams and a local mall drive by.....very disturbing....it makes me downright angry...this state COVID cases are increasing and they are opening malls and beaches....🤖

Okay, I'll try this again. I thought I replied yesterday, but seems not to be here.

At first I was also outraged when I read this. Then I remembered times when my mother and in-laws were discharged from hospital and in no way ready to be at home, even with our help. A move, temporary or permanent to a care facility was the only choice. This is the unfortunate situation we are facing now.

The headlines in the paper today says "ICU Beds are Running Short." The Twin Cities was mentioned on national news yesterday as a hot spot, our ICU beds, although not technically full, are at capacity in terms of available staff, and the number of cases has not fallen. Since many cases in our hospitals here are people from the care facilities, they are sicker and require longer care than the general population. There must be a place to send people ready for discharge, but not ready for home.

If there had been central planning and coordination from the day Covid-19 darkened our lives, safe arrangements could have been made. Specific buildings or wings (not floors) of larger facilities could have been designated "all Covid-19" and healthy residents moved out, special training, extra staff and adequate equipment should have been provided. Didn't happen - hospitals and nursing homes (even today) are racing and struggling to care for the patients as best they can, with a shrinking pool of caregivers as they fall to the virus themselves or "pull the plug" because they are overwhelmed or frightened, and facilities are still begging for PPE from the public as orders they place are hijacked or cancelled without explanation (this is not a political statement - our governor experienced it this week and my daughter's hospital has had it happen more than once.)

On a positive note, our governor has ordered and is assisting in testing all residents and staff in congregate living facilities, in making transition and isolation plans and providing training. In one large care home, which had no cases, staff and residents' families were able to convince management to not admit Covid-19 positive people. At least one other has a safety plan - test prospective residents, if positive, no admit and if negative 30 days quarantine in a single room in a special unit with dedicated staff before moving to their permanent room.

As always with this beast - stay tuned for further information. Since "Reopening" is seeming to signal "All Clear" to way too many people, we are not done yet!
Sue

@sueinmn Your summation is accurate and chilling. I worry so much for my father-in-law who is in an excellent, outstanding even, facility, but of course nevertheless at great risk. He needs the skilled care he gets there and is surrounded by loving people, but maybe it is only a matter of time...

@sueinmn That podcast by Dr Poland was an eye opener as to how this virus has mutated . From what I understood there are 15 different strains now ? I know in MIchigan there are 4 different strains thats why there are so many cases . Scary and crazy . Looks like we are in for the long haul and the world wont be the same as we knew it .

@zep I have a lifetime of experience with facilities, excellent, good and awful, dating back to the 1960's. Many family members we helped care for resided in them, my Dad was a founder and 20 year volunteer in one of our local ones, and my daughter worked there for 9 years. It has always been true that infections, whether viral or bacterial, blast through their very vulnerable populations at an alarming rate, and many people die. Now, as we have many more care options, I believe it is even worse because, on average, residents are even older and sicker when they enter care. Unfortunately, lack of staffing, money to adequately pay staff, education and effective oversight have combined with this pandemic to create a truly frightening scenario. Even our best facilities, quite highly rated for compliance to all regs, have had outbreaks here, with many deaths.

It has brought to light something nobody has publicly addressed - infection control among crowded, high-risk populations. This is the same situation that group homes, shelters and homeless camps, jails and prisons, and people living/working in crowded conditions like packing plants are facing. Covid-19 is not going away soon.
Sue