Among all demographics, the pandemic took the severest toll on the elderly. Even the healthiest seniors often proved unable to withstand the effects of the virus. Not surprisingly, this led to high death rates in nursing home facilities. However, recent studies indicate that this was the result of collective patient demographics and not patient care. In fact, one study showed that adults had a better chance of surviving COVID-19 in long-term care communities than at home.
Why Is a Senior Living Center Safer for Seniors?
Because COVID-19 spreads via human contact, most people assume that staying isolated at home is best. However, there are a few factors that make this less accurate than it would logically appear.
1. Careful Human Contact
When seniors live alone, they still need to contact other people, such as when buying groceries or receiving care at home. The situation is even more high-risk when they live with younger family members who may still be working or handling errands. However, residents and staff at long-term communities followed much stricter contact protocols, including sanitization and regular testing.
2. 24-Hour Supervision
Once health professionals had more trustworthy information, they finally knew what to look for. They kept a close eye on seniors to watch out for symptoms and isolate them if necessary. Coughing, high temperatures, lethargy, and loss of appetite were just some of the symptoms health care professionals learned to identify and act on.
3. Infection Protocols
Isolation is much easier inside a senior living community than at home. Nurses may still need to assist some seniors, but it is easier to reduce their contact with other people at senior care communities. This, in turn, helped contain the spread compared to regular home life. Frequent COVID-19 tests and temperature monitoring also became crucial components of infection detection.
4. Immediate Treatment
While in isolation, seniors receive immediate medical attention. Health care professionals are still learning how to care for people infected with COVID-19 and improve survival rates. They put this new knowledge to work inside senior living communities.
5. Proper Sanitation
Like most health care facilities, senior living centers are cleaned and disinfected regularly. The professionals who complete the job are properly trained to do so and receive additional training during the pandemic. Most cleaning companies now offer specific packages for regular disinfection and emergency cleaning after discovering a COVID-19 case.
6. Sanitation Stations
Senior living facilities posted sanitation stations at various checkpoints to encourage people to cleanse their hands and use hand sanitizer. This further reduced the spread of the virus by encouraging greater attention to hygiene throughout the day among seniors and the people who attended to them.
How Can You Find the Best Assisted Living Communities?
Most seniors prefer to age in place, and family members generally hope they never need to place their loved ones in assisted living facilities. However, sometimes the level of care required is more than family members can provide on their own. So, how exactly do you find the best option?
1. Start Early
U.S. News recommends starting your research long before the results are of any consequence to you or your loved ones. Doing so gives you plenty of time to go over all the available options and make a final decision you and your loved one feels comfortable with. This is a much better scenario than waiting until you need to find a home on short notice.
2. Ask Around
AARP recommends asking the people in your circle for recommendations. It suggests checking with neighbors, friends, relatives, or doctors. Your loved one might also have a keen idea of where they would like to go based on recommendations from friends.
3. Visit Often
Visiting a facility for one planned tour is not enough. Drop by on another occasion and see how you are received. Then, observe whether the reality matches up to what you were shown on the first visit. Note not just the quality of the facility but the apparent quality of life of the seniors calling it home.
At Caring Places Management, we have cared for seniors in the Pacific Northwest since 1991. Our team puts patient care and the well-being of our seniors first. We developed a vast network of communities for you to choose from. Request a tour today.
