ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We compared the prevalence of COVID-19 and related mortality in nursing homes (NHs) in 14 countries until October 2021. We explored the relationship between COVID-19 mortality in NHs with the average size of NHs and with the COVID-19 deaths at a population level. METHODS: The total number of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths in all NHs as well as the total number of NHs and NH beds were provided by representatives of 14 countries. The population level respective figures in each country were provided up to October 2021. RESULTS: There was a wide variation in prevalence of COVID-19 cases and deaths between countries. We observed a significant correlation between COVID-19 deaths in NHs and that of the total population and between the mean size of NHs and COVID-19 deaths. CONCLUSION: Side-by-side comparisons between countries allow international sharing of good practice to better enable future pandemic preparedness.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Europe/epidemiology , Humans , Nursing Homes , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2Subject(s)
Ageism , Coronavirus Infections , Health Services for the Aged/standards , Pandemics , Patient Care , Pneumonia, Viral , Resilience, Psychological , Ageism/prevention & control , Ageism/psychology , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Clinical Decision-Making/ethics , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Coronavirus Infections/psychology , Humans , Intergenerational Relations , Pandemics/prevention & control , Patient Care/ethics , Patient Care/methods , Patient Care/psychology , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/psychology , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesSubject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Aged , Homes for the Aged , Humans , Nursing Homes , SARS-CoV-2Subject(s)
Advance Care Planning , Education, Medical , Patient Participation , Subacute Care , Teaching Rounds/methods , Telecommunications , Aged, 80 and over , Decision Making, Shared , Education, Medical/methods , Education, Medical/trends , Family , Humans , Subacute Care/methods , Subacute Care/psychology , Teaching , Terminal Care/psychologySubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Emergency Medical Services , Homes for the Aged , Aged , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/prevention & control , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Emergency Medical Services/methods , Emergency Medical Services/organization & administration , Emergency Medical Services/standards , Emergency Service, Hospital , Frail Elderly , Humans , Patient Care PlanningABSTRACT
The pandemic of viral infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 that causes COVID-19 disease has put the nursing home industry in crisis. The combination of a vulnerable population that manifests nonspecific and atypical presentations of COVID-19, staffing shortages due to viral infection, inadequate resources for and availability of rapid, accurate testing and personal protective equipment, and lack of effective treatments for COVID-19 among nursing home residents have created a "perfect storm" in our country's nursing homes. This perfect storm will continue as society begins to reopen, resulting in more infections among nursing home staff and clinicians who acquire the virus outside of work, remain asymptomatic, and unknowingly perpetuate the spread of the virus in their workplaces. Because of the elements of the perfect storm, nursing homes are like a tinderbox, and it only takes one person to start a fire that could cause many deaths in a single facility. Several public health interventions and health policy strategies, adequate resources, and focused clinical quality improvement initiatives can help calm the storm. The saddest part of this perfect storm is that many years of inaction on the part of policy makers contributed to its impact. We now have an opportunity to improve nursing homes to protect residents and their caregivers ahead of the next storm. It is time to reimagine how we pay for and regulate nursing home care to achieve this goal. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:2153-2162, 2020.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Homes for the Aged/statistics & numerical data , Nursing Homes/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/transmission , COVID-19 Testing/methods , Health Policy , Homes for the Aged/economics , Homes for the Aged/organization & administration , Humans , Infection Control/methods , Nursing Homes/economics , Nursing Homes/organization & administration , Nursing Staff , Pandemics , Prevalence , SARS-CoV-2 , Workforce/statistics & numerical dataSubject(s)
Ageism/ethics , Altruism , Geriatrics/ethics , Pandemics/ethics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections , Female , Humans , Male , Pneumonia, Viral , SARS-CoV-2Subject(s)
Ageism/psychology , Coronavirus Infections/psychology , Health Status , Pneumonia, Viral/psychology , Stereotyping , Ageism/statistics & numerical data , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Decision Making , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The pandemic of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is having a global impact unseen since the 1918 worldwide influenza epidemic. All aspects of life have changed dramatically for now. The group most susceptible to COVID-19 are older adults and those with chronic underlying medical disorders. The population residing in long-term care facilities generally are those who are both old and have multiple comorbidities. In this article we provide information, insights, and recommended approaches to COVID-19 in the long-term facility setting. Because the situation is fluid and changing rapidly, readers are encouraged to access frequently the resources cited in this article. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:912-917, 2020.