Officials in Minnesota recently issued a warning that senior care facilities may need to change their visitation policies after a resurgence in the coronavirus has been noticed in the state. This strict new guidance is geared toward keeping seniors residing in care facilities safe from COVID-19 after it was observed that seniors are seeing a rise in infection numbers.
Minnesota began to allow visitors after finding that the emotional toll of isolation on care facility residents was incredibly high. But shortly after allowing this, infection rates began to go up.
The new policies give a detailed look at how nursing homes and other care facilities should proceed with reopening. Although the state already had a plan in place, observation found that it was a bit too relaxed with its protocol, and as a result of this, the elderly were bearing the brunt of a resurgence in cases. In order to help protect residents, the state of Minnesota is advising that care facilities be more cautious in accepting visitors and take community infection rates into account when making their decisions. If necessary, they may advise completely restricting visitors again.
COVID-19 has been difficult to navigate because there are so many unknowns. A resurgence, or even a second wave, has always been a possibility, and it’s a terrifying possibility at that. We don’t know if the virus is in the process of changing, we don’t know what all of the long term fallout of the illness is. As we learn more and more about the novel coronavirus, we are beginning to get a better idea of what can happen. Unfortunately, the few things that we do know for certain about this illness is that the elderly are impacted the most severely. Seniors that live within nursing homes and other elder care facilities are at the most vulnerable simply because they are an immobile place. They are at the mercy of the people that come in and out of their place of residence. This creates the potential for a lot of people to get sick or worse. Restrictions are needed if we’re going to keep our seniors safe.
We can learn from what is working and what is not working in other parts of the world. If Minnesota is seeing a resurgence in cases, other places are likely to do the same. If relaxed standards for visitors are not working, then we need to fix this in our own areas and systems. We owe the people that we serve this.
This is a tough time all around. But that doesn’t mean that senior care is not available. It may look different, but there are still a lot of care options available to you. If you’re located in the Bay Area, we are here to help you navigate those options. Give us a call or email and we can help you find the care choices that are going to help you the most. This is a free service, and we will help you to get connected toward the choices that are going to benefit your family the most.
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