Experience in Community Care in nursing homes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has caused many deaths in geriatric homes. The commitment by female Primary Care doctors and nurses with the population they manage made it essential to conduct community actions in order to improve the care for these persons The general objective was to implement the "Plan of Action for Managing Persons in the Nursing Home Setting and Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic" of the Government of Catalonia, and to adap t it to the specific needs in thecen tres managed. The intervention was conducted by female Primary Care nurses and doctors, in two nursing homes from an urban area of Barcelona between March and May, 2020. It consisted of three stages 1) Assessment Both nursing homes cared for 41 persons (78.6% were female;mean age 84.5 years). Of these, 100% had a chronic condition, 41.5% presented total dependence, 21.9% presented severe dependence, and 26.8% suffered cognitive deterioration;63.4% of them were asymptomatic. Lack of materials, infrastructures, and knowledge were detected. 2) Coordination actions Disinfection of nursing homes by the Fire Department, and extraction of PCR samples, which tested negative in 100% of patients and positive in four caregivers. 3) Health Education Workshop for staff in direct contact with the persons living in the nursing home. Nursing homes stayed free of COVID-19 until the start of de-escalation by the end of May, 2020. Subsequent contact was maintained with nursing homes. Community intervention might have contributed to the lack of infection cases among workers and persons living in the nursing homes. © 2021 DAE Editorial, Grupo Paradigma. All rights reserved.