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Elderly Care: The Role of Nurses in Retirement Homes During The Covid 19 Pandemic

Nurse helping elderly patients

Nurses are essential in retirement homes. The COVID-19 virus has the most impact on the geriatric patient group they serve. Nurses organize everything from medications to therapy to diet for their patients. They offer care (or ensure that other staff members do), assess the patient's progress, and make adjustments as appropriate. The job can be difficult because nurses must care for multiple patients at once and a patient's condition can change unexpectedly.

Impact of Covid 19 On Elderly Patients
The COVID-19 pandemic has put tremendous strain on the entire healthcare system, but perhaps the most catastrophic impact has been on the long-term care system, which serves both younger and older people in residential care facilities. The impact is particularly noticeable in retirement facilities, where nearly 85 percent of inhabitants are among the most vulnerable members of society: the elderly. Thousands of nursing home patients have died from the illness in just a few weeks across the country. Unfortunately, this is almost certainly an undercount, as data on infection and mortality rates is suspicious due to a lack of uniform reporting standards at the national level and a lack of capacity to test residents for infection in many facilities.

How Retirement Home Nurses Are Adapting To Patient Care
Residents in nursing homes are completely reliant on their nurses. Many seniors suffer from memory loss and are unable to carry out their regular duties as they once did. Some people are suffering from despair and anxiety, which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus epidemic.

Struggles Of Nurses In Retirement Homes
Retirement home nurses encounter numerous problems, including patients who are unable to communicate, as well as those who are belligerent or furious. Relationships between family members and the patient or nursing home employees may be strained. Even if the facility is understaffed (especially on weekends or major holidays), all patient care responsibilities must be fulfilled.

Nursing facilities often have substantially higher CNA, LVN/LPN, and RN-to-patient ratios, which many nurses believe makes COVID-19 more difficult. It is commonly assumed that because nursing home residents are not treated at a medical center, the time required to care for them is significantly reduced.

Guidelines To Follow In Retirement Homes During The Pandemic
The following methods can help limit coronavirus exposure among nursing home personnel.
Facilities for long-term care:

  • Tell sick employees to stay at home.
  • Check workers and residents for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 on a regular basis.
  • If workers or residents have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, quarantine them.
  • Follow the CDC's recommendations for resident visitation policies.
  • Request that visitors notify the facility if they acquire a fever or symptoms that are similar to COVID-19.
  • Maintain a physical distance of at least six feet between you and the other person.
  • workers/residents/visitors, including during work hours and breaks.

COVID-19, like flu and pneumonia, is here to stay in some form or another. People rely on the public health miracle in the COVID-19 vaccine, but its efficacy is contingent on putting it into people's hands. COVID-19 can be defeated and improved protection mechanisms created with greater planning, data, and accountability.

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Photo Source: Patient safety photo created by pch.vector - www.freepik.com
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