A nursing home is a place where the elderly and the disabled get support with nurses’ aid. A nursing home can also be referred to as a convalescent home. Three types of nurses can work in these convalescent homes. The nurses can either work full-time or part-time, depending on the contract agreement. The main objective of nursing homes is to provide care and support to people with specific conditions that make their lifestyle to be a little bit harder in one way or another. The Center for Disease Control recently declared support for releasing the COVID-19 vaccine for those who had received the first dosage in nursing homes. The essay here starts by analyzing the conditions and experiences of residents in care facilities. Additionally, it establishes some of the major causes of high death rates among nursing home residents alongside measures that can help to curb such occurrences in the future.
For the past few months since COVID-19 hit the world, most convalescent homes have experienced pressure due to the increasing number of patients who need immediate care and attention. Sometimes it becomes difficult to even in residential homes to offer medical and urgent care to the old and the disabled (Loubert, 2021). Residents’ conditions may worsen beyond their knowledge and ability in terms of resources required for treatment. Being in a nursing home or a residential home doesn’t mean that the elderly could not get better care from family members. The major cause of this is said to be increased negligence of duties by family members, or maybe they have a lot to do than taking care of others.
All in all, their concern for their elders and disabled welfare matters a lot, and no matter what type of support they give, whether indirect or direct, it is highly appreciated. According to the previous study before covid-19, statistics showed that deaths in the United States between 20%-24% occurred in nursing homes (Loubert, 2021). The numbers have continued to increase due to covid-19 infection making the numbers double.
According to Loubert (2021), CDC research distributed around the states showed that death rates in nursing homes stood at 1.6% in the United States which makes up 42% of the total deaths in the US. The research was carried out in 20 states which involved 15 nursing homes and 15 residential homes. The cause of such deaths in convalescent homes could be triggered by several factors, some of which are inevitable and hence certain to happen. Still, some factors can be controlled by establishing some protocols and procedures to avert the increasing number of deaths.
The factors that trigger such deaths could be a lack of valuable gadgets for covid-19 control and treatment. Since covid-19 revealed itself to the world not long ago, most nursing homes were not proactive for such a disease, and hence they have suffered from inadequate equipment for Covid-19 to avert death rates (Loubert, 2021). Lack of protective gear apparatus has also led to increased infection among the residents living in nursing homes. To prevent more deaths, the government, in collaboration with the Center for disease control, should be proactive by setting some resources in case of any new infection. There will be an assurance that the government can fight the pandemic and supply all the necessary equipment needed across the states and the nursing homes to fight the infection.
Secondly, we have the weak immune system of the residents, which can be defined as the ability of the body to resist and fight back infections or diseases. The old are usually associated with a weak immune system; hence they are easily carried away by minor diseases and infections. Since the covid-19 virus, known as the SARS-CoV-2, causes the disease, it evolves every time and keeps on mutating (Eke et al., 2018). Therefore, it becomes more difficult for the old to fight back the disease. The virus also replicates itself hence faster and immediate symptoms, which at some point it becomes too late to treat the residents when the virus is at complete brown. To avert death rates, several key factors should be applied to boost the immune system of the residents. First, the residents should be given a well-balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, for those taking alcoholic drinks in moderation and those with some energy to do some exercises daily.
In addition to the above factors, the lack of personal assistance to the disabled to perform various protection protocols established by the CDC also contributed to high death rates. The nurses cannot handle all the disabled alone; hence, there is a need for additional human resources to help those with disabilities such as stroke or median nerve compression (Loubert, 2021). These disabilities hinder the nursing home residents from practicing health protocols as they cannot wear masks on themselves when having a direct conversation with visitors or friends. A private support team can also be hired to attend to those residents with severe disabilities and closely monitor their movement. Fourthly, few doctors are experienced, or even some nursing homes lack even a single doctor. Doctors are vital in these nursing homes, and they serve as respondents to the sick in these facilities (Loubert, 2021). The medical support of nurses alone is not enough in times of pandemics because some complications may arise with the patients.
Lack of Emergency medical teams in these nursing homes; the old are prone to diseases, and the emergency medical team could significantly reduce the number of deaths among the residents. If the management and the state governments can all agree to set aside some funds and resources for the emergency team, it can significantly benefit the residents and staff. Those nursing homes that have such programs have proven it right that they can work very well.
Additionally, there exists poor response time by nurses to the residents during medical emergencies. Nurses have been spotted to be reluctant to perform their daily duties by failing to attend to sick residents. Patients in these facilities become stranded during this pandemic disaster as they fail to perform their duties (Eke et al., 2018). This has led to massive loss of lives during this pandemic, and that’s the reason that has made the number of death in nursing homes increased. The government should immediately terminate the contract for those nurses who misbehave on duty. A lack of passion by nurses can cause a lot of misfortunes in these facilities.
Statistics show that underlying diseases cause 70% of the total deaths in nursing homes. Most of the deaths in nursing homes are not caused by covid-19 alone (Loubert, 2021). Some diseases are associated with the old that triggers death. Among them is cancer which has been a great disaster across the United States. Those residents with underlying conditions should be excluded from the other residents and given unique and special treatment. Other diseases among residents should also be tested every month so that they are treatable at earlier stages.
The pharmacists discovered a slow response by the body to the vaccine against the covid-19 virus. According to the samples taken in the laboratory a few months ago, it is clear that some patients in the nursing home took a long before responding to medication. Some had to wait for weeks and others almost a month for their bodies to become compatible with the vaccines administered (Eke et al., 2018). There is still some research currently taking place across the globe to come up with a better vaccine that will have an immediate impact on the bodies of the old. This process has involved medical experts across the globe, and they are expected to come up with improved and better vaccines.
To conclude, there has been a great fear of receiving the vaccine among the residents. People who visit these facilities have spread the notion that the vaccine will have some side effects after injection. This makes the residents resist covid-19 medication, or even others fear injection through syringes as they are allergic to sharp objects. Nurses should mobilize the residents to take vaccines and tell them their importance to their health. Nursing homes should be given proper care and attention. The health of the residents should be well considered and taken care of to increase the lifespan of the residents not just during this pandemic period but also in the coming days. The government should enroll in a free program to supply fruits and vegetables in nursing homes. The supply will help supplement the resident’s diet and boost their immune system, hence keeping them free from diseases and other infections.
References
Eke, P. I., Thornton-Evans, G. O., Wei, L., Borgnakke, W. S., Dye, B. A., & Genco, R. J. (2018). Periodontitis in US adults: National health and nutrition examination survey 2009-2014. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 149(7), 576-588. Web.
Loubert, L. (2021). COVID-19 disparities in nursing homes. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 4, p. 388). Multidisciplinary digital publishing institute. Web.