Has your LOs facility had a positive Covid test?

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Has your LOs facility had a positive Covid test?

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Got a phone call tonight from my Aunt's facility. One of their employees tested positive for Covid.
It's not a huge surprise (facility is in a CA hot spot), but it's still worrisome!
I'm certain some of you have been through this.
What was the outcome? Was there a spread?

Assisted Living Coronavirus Senior Health Senior Housing

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I'd take it as a positive sign that the facility's policy is to share this information with residents' families. This shows that they do have a policy, which is a start, and have at least attempted to develop a strategy for containing and managing any outbreak.

The rest is rather in the lap of the Gods. I'm not sure you can infer anything useful at all from the news that an employee has tested positive.

What employee? - with what sort of contact with co-workers and with residents?
What sort of test?
Test done in what circumstances? - because the employee was ill, or as part of routine screening?

What else did the facility say? - I'd hope, for example, that they would direct you to information about what measures they have in place for containment.

Testing breaks down into two types: tests for antibodies, showing that a person has had contact with the disease and has had an immune reaction to it; and tests for the virus itself.

There have been discussions in the last couple of weeks about difficulties (there are many) with the virus test. False negatives shouldn't happen too often, because the testing centres will reject samples that just don't have enough biological material to work on and the patient will be asked to take another swab. False positives are a more difficult problem: because the test looks for the viral DNA, positive results can be obtained from people with long-dead fragments of cell still in their system who are no longer ill and no longer pose any kind of transmission risk.

I should concentrate on how your aunt is. Are you able to speak to her, remind me?

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Xray,
My loved one's AL facility was stellar, and careful. They went without Covid until August.
Then, loved one went home on hospice, and just in time as the facility did have a Covid outbreak.

Some caregivers have brought their loved ones home if that can be done safely.

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My ex MIL is in a CCRC and is currently in the IL section. A few weeks ago, an employee (the driver who takes all and sundry to doc appointments, shopping, etc. tested positive. Everyone who had been with him in the precious week went on 14 day quarantine. No further spread.

Until there is a vaccine, social distancing, testing, contact tracing, masks and quarantine are the way to manage this virus.

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My Mama tested positive for covid19 in the Memory Care. It is a small 50 bed stand alone M.C. 37 residents tested positive. Most of them were like my Mama who only lost their interest in food and had a fever for a few days. The C.D.C. traced it back to a man who had man released back to the M.C. from the hospital. 7 passed away. It is scary when it hits close to home but it will be okay. They have crazy cleaning ramped up. The M.C. shares every other day what exactly is going on, how many are recovered, etc. They even show staff numbers of positive cases too. They have been cleared now for a month. Try not to stress and leave it in God's hands. Grace and Peace, Love, Boots

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I just read your post today Bootshopgirl and it has brought hopeful tears to my eyes. My mother’s MC floor had 20 residents (my mother included) test positive for COVID last Tuesday. She was asymptomatic until today when she spiked a fever and wouldn’t eat (who would feel like eating when you feel horrible with a fever). The nurse gave her Tylenol and it has brought the fever down. I am beside myself with worry and fear. Terrified my phone is going to ring telling me that she has gotten much worse and is being sent to the hospital. This is so scary but good to read that some do alright.
thank you for your post.

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A case worker in a nursing home here lost all 7 of her patients to corona virus.

Another nursing home, one of the staff had corona and a resident. They recovered

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Just recently read the nursing home had several staff and residents with the corona.

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Two facilities my LO was in found staff that tested positive. Those staff stopped working in the facilities until cleared to return. The facilities caught it in time and no residents contracted it.

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Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

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While my wife was in rehab in June, during her 14 day quarantine , 2 employees tested positive and were sent home for further testing. My wife's quarantine was extended 14 more days form the date of contact. The employees were wearing their PPE's and there were no more cases while she was their . Early August release.
So far that facility has had no more cases, I still keep up as I don't know when she may need to go back.

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We have a friend that was in independent living. He was given two weeks to live in December. His family members took time off work to help with his care. It is 9 months later and the friend is still living. (No doubt due to the wonderful care the family provided) Now the family workers are getting pressure from their jobs to take take as much time off. They moved our friend to a full time care facility a few weeks ago. At the time no Covid cases. Since he arrived 2 staff members and a few residents have covid and he is in lock down without being able to see his family or leaving his room. He is miserable and the family is regretting moving him. They feel now with the isolation he may go downhill quickly.

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While Dad was still at the MC facility a random CDC test found one staff member positive. They sent her home for 3 weeks & tested all tenants twice. No one else came up positive, but they tried to quit even allowing us to do window visits. I was furious and called our ombudsman. It was straightened out within 3 days. Dads facility would only let one tenant per table for meals and had them keep mainly to their rooms. Since most in his house of ten were elderly and HofH, they no longer even conversed. Talk about lonely! We pulled Dad out 10 weeks after lockdown occurred and there were only 3 left in his house. I believe social isolation took a much tougher toll-

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Mine was infected by a nonsymptomatic carrier at the end of March, acutely I’ll for three weeks, then tested positive for the next 3 months.

She lost 12 pounds but having had 4 socially distanced outdoor visits I think she’s about the same as she was before the lockdown.

There was a whole lot of talk about the millions and millions and millions of tests that were administered. If there were so many, I would have thought that vulnerable population caregivers should have been tested in the first line. They weren’t.

The unsuspecting carrier never had symptoms until 2 days after LO had hers.

I’m so SO GRATEFUL that she had exemplary care at her facility. There were losses and I’m glad that she was spared. None of us know if any lasting effects will emerge, but so grateful to be able to say “I love you” as our visits end.

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My mom’s AL facility sends daily reports. There have been 3 positives (2 staff & 1 resident in the nursing home side) since March, and each time entire facility (nursing home & AL) went on lockdown for 2weeks. They’re working really hard to care properly for our LO. I call mom daily. Yes, it’s taken it’s toll on her. I always ask if staff are treating her well and, unlike pre-Covid, she has no complaints. Grateful to talk to her every day even though she can’t handle much conversation.

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Yes! My MIL and FIL’s facility consists of individual houses with approx 10 residents per house. They had a case with a resident who had returned from rehab back in June. They quarantined her to her room and only 1 staff person became infected. Both had very mild cases. In Late August a staff member in MIL’s memory care house tested positive, but only symptom was a headache. She quarantined for 14 days and nobody else tested positive. They test staff regularly and only test residents if a staff member is positive since nobody else comes in/out. They’ve been very pro-active in this and very transparent.

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My Mom’s AL facility had many Covid cases over the months of April and May. No matter how they tried to clean the building and quarantine residents, over 60 staff & residents became infected. (The residents ate in their rooms, all activities canceled, no visitors, etc..) My 92 yr. old mother was infected, but had a fairly mild case. (She basically stayed in bed for about 2 weeks, but barely ate or drank.) Fortunately, she has fully recovered - but 12 other residents weren’t so lucky. :-‘(. Now the building is Covid free, and residents are allowed 2 visitors per day either on the outdoor patio or in their apartment. The dining room is open to residents only.......2 per table. Masks are required at all times, but residents are also allowed to come and go out of the facility freely. (I’m actually surprised about that!) I’ll fetch my Mom and let her dig weeds in my yard, which she LOVES to do. All you can do is pray that your Aunt’s facility can keep it at bay.

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Same here LO community I think has had about 15-20 cases. My state was posting nursing home reported cases by county so I could see the information online. They also called every week or so to report the cases which has also changed in the online view status. Only allow "outside" visits for the past 2 months. LO is behind a 3 sided plastic shield-her voice is now so soft I can barely hear her when wind blows, cars go buy, lawn mowing. Better than nothing. I am supposed to take LO "out" to an in office dr. appointment. LO has had horrible irritated skin since she got there and no visiting dermatology on their staff. They are trying some new treatments now. If the treatments don't work, LO will be quarantined when we come back to the community. The covid and no visitation has already taken a huge toll on LO quarantine for 2 weeks will not be good at all. I have taken my dad to monthly dr. appointment, he was in the hospital for 3 weeks in August for other problems, my husband teaches an in person laboratory class-one student got a false positive last week. then entire teaching team was tested and got negative results. We have all used the PPE every time we go anywhere even at my parents (age 95) house. and have not gotten covid. PPE does work.

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I would say the surprise would be more in it taking this long to have a single employee coming up covid positive. The experience of others unfortunately won't predict what the experience is for your facility. It is clearly a good one, testing its workers and reporting cases to family. That was the case with my brother's place as well. It will depend upon how quickly the case was caught whether the worker exposed others. As Covid-19 spreads like wild fire in a confined area who cannot leave it is to be hoped that the covid was diagnosed quickly. Two weeks will tell the story. In my brother's place, though my bro is now gone, there is not a single case in all this time. That is rare. His ex partner left for gallbladder surgery and got covid in rehab after his surgery. That So. Cal place was full of it. He survived it but was hospitalized almost a month. No ventilator. Wishing you the best. Scary times.

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Yes, my mom's place in Orange County had a staff member test positive in June. By the time the outbreak was over, seven staffers and ten residents had tested positive. Three residents died in that time, but one is questionable as to whether is was Covid related.

Now the isolation begins, and that's harder on them than anything. I feel bad for your aunt and what's ahead.

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Yes. Honolulu, Hawaii care home. As of 9/15/20, 62 cases. My father was one of 5 to die from Covid whom he contracted from a staff member. He was bedridden and in the last stage of Alzheimer’s. The last time I saw him was in March 2020. I couldn’t see him when he went to the emergency room, then admitted to the hospital, discharged back to the care home, while in the Covid unit and in his last moments. He had to die alone without family at his bedside. Even the hospice people didn’t want to go in to care for him due to Covid. To date I have not heard from the care home at all.

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wow sorry to hear of your father passing alone. my father also passed this past May but NOT from covid. he also had dementia and had started losing weight, not wanting to eat (he was there 5 1/2 years), however they did let us come in when they new his time was near. We wore gowns, masks with shields and had to get temp taken, and sanitize hands. they lead us directly to his room and only 2 at a time could come in. they never said we couldn't come in. we stayed for a short time (mother said no need to continue to stay as my dad was not awake and not coherent that we were there, at least to us). He passed away about 3 hours after we left. Depending on your belief, your father was only alone in our physical being, but God was with my father during his passing. wishing you care.

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Last spring, my late FIL's AL reported a positive COVID test. It was an employee who'd contracted the virus at a different job, and who hadn't been at my FIL's facility for a couple of weeks.

This was also in CA, during its strictest shutdown, and before it became a summertime hot spot.

Worrisome? Wow, yes. But there was no spread at this community. Management communicated well with residents and their families.

My FIL has since passed ... but not from COVID.

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Yes, my mom tested positive We don’t know how she got it. She was under the weather and quarantined until she tested negative (about two weeks). She recovered and doesn’t remember being ill. It’s scary for sure. Sadly this is our new reality.

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I think just about every state had positive testing in facilities. Here in New Orleans there were several facilities that had cases.

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this is a sensitive subject for a lot of people. now this is my opinion only = I am sure that there are a lot of people (if they got tested) my show up positive, but that doesn't mean the end of the world. they may never get any symptoms at all, just show positive. some people can get the walking flu but continue on without any issues, but then there will be others that get sick......just as in this virus.....someone might test positive but not get sick......but then someone else might. It won't do any good to worry.....just take the precautions like we are constantly being told "wash hands (which people shouldn't have to be told that), wear masks (unless a medical condition creates worse problems)....stay the 6 foot distance and don't cough or sneeze towards people (which common sense tells us that is wrong)........Where my father was staying they all wore masks, no one allowed in unless a patient on their last breath, and they had no one eating at main dining hall, they all had to eat in their rooms,,,,,,,,,no one wandering around. And they had a separate wing for anyone that tested positive to keep away from everyone else for the 14 day time period. Wishing you luck.

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On Friday my moms small memory care facility has reported 6 cases of covid...2 employees and 4 residents...now my mom is in her room alone..meals dropped off, no activities..no door visits with family..Sadly this is how she ended up going there..she was in isolation at her independent living place for a few weeks and her Lewy Body triggered and she ended up in the hospital so mentally disturbed and unable to walk that she could not return home. Over 5 months In memory care she regained her weight, was walking again and has been fairly clear headed this past month. I expect she will lose ground again. I am heart sick..

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Hugs to you. I'm so sorry to read of this.

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On last night's round, one call was to a lady in a very good ILF, briefing notes warned us that two residents (not our client) had tested positive for Covid, take extra care with PPE.

So: before entering the building, hand gel, surgical mask, apron, gloves, visor. Main door, entryphone (four buttons). Reception desk sign in (used my own pen, second entry on that page, hand gel provided by facility). Internal security door entryphone (four buttons). Elevator (two buttons, hand gel provided by facility). Outside apartment: change shoes, remove visor, remove gloves; door already open. Inside apartment: wash hands, don fresh apron, fresh gloves. Call completed: don visor, change shoes, two buttons at elevator, sign out at reception. Back at car, strip and bag PPE, disinfect shoes, gel hands. On to next call.

This is a 30 minute bedtime call. Is extra time allowed for extra precautions? What do you think.

As far as I know we are all doing our best. When I hear my Shift Leader grinding her teeth because I'm running late and the next client has rung to ask where I am, I'm sure it isn't me she's annoyed with.

BEFORE Covid, there was not enough money = not enough time in the social care system for workers to meet best practice standards. Now, the standards need to be higher and the time required is more. Who's to blame if the standards aren't met? - us?

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CM,
As you know, germs (including virus) are spread also by fomites.
Others may not know.
The door handles and buttons on security doors are fomites.
These should be sprayed and wiped off with every person, imo.

Looking to increase awareness, increase standards, recommit to stricter procedures.

Sure if you mention at a staff meeting, the not enough time factor, the standards factor, you can make some changes. You are not to blame, no one is to blame. Your voice is important.

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Has your LOs facility had a positive Covid test?

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