As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has been wreaking havoc ever since it came into consciousness earlier in the year.
The deadly virus has claimed more than 1.5 million lives all over the world bringing every country to its feet as we all await the development of a vaccine.
Here in the United States, there have been 280,000 deaths as we speak, and alarmingly, more than 100,000 of those deaths are linked to nursing homes.
According to the New York Times, 787,000 people residing in about 28,000 facilities have been infected by the virus as of December 4, 2020.
At High Risk
Whether we want to admit it or not, nursing home populations are at a higher risk of not just being infected by COVID-19 but also dying from the virus because it’s known to be more lethal in adults above 60 with underlying health conditions.
It also doesn’t help that the virus can spread faster especially in confined spaces like adult care facilities where workers and staff move around from patient to patient.
While these deaths make sense based on how the virus strikes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we can just leave our elders to fend for themselves.
Unfortunately, this is what’s happening today. Patients are caught in a conflict between hospitals and nursing homes that refuse to accept elderly patients until tests confirm they are negative.
There are also consulting wound care companies that refuse to physically visit nursing homes out of fear of contracting the virus.
Going the Extra Mile
At SNF Wound Care, we understand the importance of physically being there with our nursing home patients and caring for their wounds the same way we’ve done in the past.
That being said, SNF wound care providers still physically go to nursing homes despite the risk because we believe that telemedicine just wouldn’t be enough. Wound often need debridement, G tubes need to be exchanged urgently.
This is not to put down telemedicine by any means because it does come with its own benefits but when it comes to caring for our elders and looking after their well-being, physical presence is a must.
The most important thing to keep in mind is safety, both for our patients and our staff which is why before we visit the facility, we ensure that we implement the necessary safety measures.
For one, we all take weekly COVID tests to make sure that we’re not bringing the virus inside the nursing facility.
Inside the nursing facility, we also make sure that we are fully-equipped with maximum protection. We’re all fully gowned up with the required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), we all wear the standard N95 masks and face shields, and we sanitize ourselves as often as we possibly can.
Wearing this equipment isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world as one may imagine but SNF Wound Care is dedicated to providing the best quality of service to its patients pandemic or no pandemic.
Final Thoughts
With no vaccine on the horizon yet, we’ve all got no other choice but to adapt to the “new normal,” so to speak. As a part of the healthcare industry, we too have our own “new normal” to adapt to especially since the nature of our work puts us at a higher risk of contracting the virus if we’re not too careful.
The pandemic isn’t going to keep us from continuing to visit skilled nursing homes. It is during this time when our elderly patients need us the most.