The 3 COVID Changes At Nursing Homes That Should Be Permanent
When the pandemic first hit in March of 2020, the residents of nursing homes and other senior facilities were hit the hardest by COVID — with more than 3,600 resident deaths and more than 34,000 casesin Maryland alone. Nursing homes have several factors that make them inherently vulnerable to a virus like COVID, including an elderly population, many with pre-existing conditions, and a close living situation that enables transmission to other residents. However, there were other reasons that nursing homes failed to contain COVID that were preventable, and most of these are related to bad infection control practices. If there is a silver lining to the COVID pandemic, it is that perhaps the nursing home industry will finally begin making long-overdue changes to protect residents from COVID and future viruses.The COVID pandemic put a spotlight on the problem of infection controls at nursing homes. Experts warn that the next pandemic-level virus is a question ofwhenrather thanif. The reality is that every year, even common viruses take the lives of many nursing home residents, whose immune systems make them extremely vulnerable. Here are few of the COVID adaptations that should become regular best practices in a post-COVID world:
Until the nursing home industry shifts and begins taking the necessary steps to protect vulnerable residents, there will continue to be avoidable injuries and deaths due to their negligence. Our attorneys at Brown & Barron, LLC focus on representing the victims of medical malpractice and nursing home abuse/neglect. We know first-hand how these facilities function, and just how vulnerable patients and residents are to injuries. If you believe you or a family member has suffered as a result of medical malpractice or nursing home negligence, we invite you tocontact our teamas soon as possible to learn more about your rights and options. Tocontact our team, call(410) 547-0202today for a consultation.