Most nursing home residents were shut off from the outside world during the pandemic, and some died without family by their side. A new bill in the California Legislature aims to prevent that from happening again.
Caregiver Leah Farinas helps a resident at assisted living facility Villa Lorena in San Diego, December 2020.
Gabrielle was one of the 250,000 California residents in long-term care nursing homes. Like many other residents, she suffered as state and county public health officials periodically denied access to family and friends during the height of the pandemic. The on-again, off-again closures had a “devastating” impact, according to aThe prolonged shutdowns led to residents"experiencing cognitive impairment, severe feelings of isolation, malnutrition and depression," the report found.
“Visitors provide just as much support, if not — in some cases — more support to the wellbeing of long-term care facility residents than the paid staff,” said Tony Chicotel, the lawyer for CANHR. He had argued against the closures during the pandemic shutdowns.This legislation would not just apply to when a pandemic occurs, but go into effect with any health emergency declared by state or local officials.
The staff of nursing homes are regulated by state agencies and “may be trained in the use of personal protective equipment in a way that the public generally is not,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, speaking for HOAC. The San Diego County Department of Public Health refused KPBS' request for comment, citing the “pending legislation.”
Chicotel went on to say that first-hand accounts show “public health departments didn't understand that staff in these situations are actually more dangerous than visitors because the staff go from resident to resident to resident throughout the day.”Denise Brogan said her mother, Gabrielle, contracted COVID-19 from a nursing home staffer.
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