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According to some estimates, more than 27,000 residents and
workers nationwide have died from the coronavirus at nursing
homes and other long-term care communities. In Ohio, as of
May 19, COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities
represented 60 percent of Ohio’s coronavirus deaths,
according to reporting by the Columbus Dispatch.
Trey Addison, Director of
State Public Policy for the Alzheimer’s Association, said,
“The Alzheimer’s Association acknowledges the strain and
difficulties associated with taking care of individuals with
Alzheimer’s and dementia in the midst of COVID-19. Our
recommendations stand out as solutions that will protect
patients and assist long-term care facilities with keeping
their workers safe.”
In Ohio, about 30 percent of the 220,000 individuals age 65
and older living with Alzheimer’s disease live in long-term
care facilities. Residents
with dementia are particularly susceptible to the
coronavirus due to their age, increased likelihood of
coexisting chronic conditions, and the community nature of
these settings.
Addison said the Association has been working
collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Aging and while
a number of positive steps have been implemented, to better
address the issues, the Association recommends:
Testing:
·
Implement daily testing for all new individuals who come
onsite, and retesting for returning individuals who enter
the facility, in accordance with local guidance.
Reporting:
·
Protect the privacy of individuals throughout the reporting
process.
Surge Activation:
·
Require nursing homes and assisted living communities to
implement a care coordination protocol that ensures a smooth
transition between care settings if a resident must be moved
to another care setting.
·
Designate state Long-Term Care Ombudsman and state and
federal CMS Surveyors as “essential,” ensure they have
priority access to personal protective equipment and
authorize them to visit long-term care communities.
Overall Support:
·
Require dissemination of essential dementia care standards
to aid provisional staff in the delivery of person-centered
dementia care.
·
Require the use of personal information forms for each
resident to allow all staff to quickly identify essential
information about the person to help maintain a stable and
comforting environment.
·
Require nursing homes and assisted living communities to
address social isolation and ensure people with dementia are
able to communicate with designated family/friends.
“Our recommendations are
directly corelated with what we are hearing throughout Ohio,
from families with a loved one living in a long-term care
and assisted living facility. We are targeting the entire
life-cycle from testing to support. If we can be proactive
in testing and reporting, the level of cases will hopefully
be highly isolated, and dealt with rapidly,” Addison said.
“We are blessed to have
Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton and thank them for
the work that they are doing, to save lives, and we plan to
support them through these recommendations,” he added.
In March, the Alzheimer’s Association released guidance to
help ensure the delivery of high-quality care for people
living with Alzheimer’s and all dementia in long-term care
and community-based settings during the current COVID-19
crisis. Released in collaboration with
36 long-term care and community-based care providers and
affiliated associations, the
document identifies
important care considerations and incorporates
evidence-based strategies from the Alzheimer’s
Association Dementia Care Recommendations to
assist staff in long-term and
community-based care settings during emergency situations.
The document is aimed at focusing non-clinical staff needed
during a crisis on the most important considerations in
caring for persons with dementia.
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