Any carers in residential care with residents who ate Covid 19 positive

[Rescare]

As the title says, looking for advice on what carers working in residential care can to do if some of their residents have tested positive for Covid 19.

I’ve NC as I don’t want to be identified as it’s not public knowledge that some residents have tested positive.

I’m scared to go into work. We have aprons, gloves and face masks, not an infinite supply, and no face shields, we have soap, water and hand gel.

Can anyone reassure me, tell me how it’s working if you are in the same situation. My children are cared for by their grandparents when I am at work. They are not elderly.

What should my employer do, what should I expect.

Slightly off topic but I've seen loads of companies on Facebook who are making face shields to send to hospitals etc, if you try searching maybe you could find one to send them to you?

It's also fairly easy to make your own. They can be made with overhead projector sheets but also the clear cover on those thin folder things. I saw a video briefly of a woman who looked like she was making one from a plastic wallet & a head band.

I don't blame you for being terrified of going to work, the numbers if care home deaths must be massive but it's not really being talked about

Thank you we have been given protective glasses today so could attach a poly pocket folder I think.

There is not much in the media about deaths in care homes, I’ve heard some are not being counted, the focus is on the NHS.

You have not actually siad if there has been an outbreak of covid 19 ?
I am not a carer but work within their services, we have nothing, one staff member decided to wear her own mask and apron, she was asked to remove it asap. As far as I know we have no virus within the hame as of yet.
As far as your parents looking after your children, I thought we were not to mix families? Why are they not going to school since you are classed as a keyworker? Good luck.

This is where I read that care home figures are being under counted.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/covid-19-hundreds-of-uk-care-home-deaths-not-added-to-official-toll

Several Residents have tested positive for Covid 19 on different floors in the home I work in. Sorry I see that my post said if, I should have said when.

The school is not open the hours that I work, the wraparound care has closed, so as a SP I have no choice other than to use childcare.

@murraymonk
Is on the worried about Coronavirus thread they are probably at thread 36 by now! She is in a similar situation and might be happy to talk it through.

I mean the school is only open 9 -3 I work a longer day than that.

Oh thank you I will have a look. I want to be with the residents as their family cannot be, but I am worried.

I read there could be around a thousand care home deaths now.

It is a very stressful situation and I hope your management is being supportive.

Where I work in a care home, we've had confirmed cases. All residents on the floor have to be isolated. PPE is the same as yours.
Staff to reduce contact with residents--no more than 15 minutes each time but this is impossible at times.
It will be an absolute nightmare when it spreads to the dementia floor (I've no doubt it will) as it will be impossible to isolate these residents. Per CCG/NHS request we are still admitting untested residents from community and hospital. We also use a lot of agency staff, who move between the homes.
It's a crazy situation and I've no doubt the care home death rate is and, will continue to be, large.

My daughter is working in a care home where some patients have tested positive. They wear gloves/aprons/masks, but I am still very worried about her. I feel like the care homes are being totally overlooked, and just pretty much left to get on with it. It makes me angry that she is working frontline, but gets none of the perks/appreciation that the NHS staff have! She doesn't mind, but I get cross!

As far as your parents looking after your children, I thought we were not to mix families?

Some parents don't have a choice but to continue using grandparents for childcare, especially when they work unsocial hours. In my case (single parent working in a care home setting), I leave for work at 630am and return at 830pm. Very very limited childcare options.

Four patients have tested positive at my aunt's home.
Another family member works in one where they have positive cases too.
It seems that this scandal isn't talked about in the media.

My mum is a Carer for elderly/vulnerable and some are positive for covid19. They don’t have the correct PPE and no masks and sadly can’t refuse to work because otherwise these poor souls wouldn’t have anybody.

The local council is an absolute disgrace along with the government. I haven’t seen my mum in 4 weeks and I swear if she dies from catching it i will sue the government for not providing the correct protection

@murraythemonk I may have misremembered her name.

They don’t have the correct PPE and no masks and sadly can’t refuse to work

Contact your local paper and MP.

Can she make masks from fabric?

@Beinglonely, also if she is working with confirmed Covid-19 without PPE, she really needs to refuse to go in. 1) for her own protection, 2) to reduce the spread of it to other clients.
It's a shit situation all round.

One of ours has dementia. My parents don’t want me to go in and my mum believes carers are being overlooked. We have worked without PPE, our manager has been in tears. No staff are being tested.

Yes we have agency staff, they mostly work nights but could be in a different home every night. Interesting about the 15 minutes at a time, I will bear this in mind, thank you.

@Rescare

Yep, keep interactions as brief as possible and if your residents can feed themselves and wash their own faces, let them.
We've also been advised not to brush their teeth due to risk of droplets.

I also doubt sufficient cleaning is being done, no offence to your team, but it would be very hard to keep things clean enough to prevent cross infection within the home. Nursing homes are not even built to be cleaned to that level.

My friend is a carer and says she has resigned herself to getting the virus too. I am in Pharmacy and can sympathise as we do not have enough or adequate PPE in place. Like carers we also feel forgotton about by the NHS. Please take care I completely feel your heartache OP x

Yes. Our sister home had one patient returned from hospital. They were positive. 14 deaths later and 2 more positive. Half the staff off sick. Testing was carried out and confirmed.
Surgical mask, gloves and plastic apron the only protection. Plastic visits provided by the local college but not enough.
It’s shit. Management believe this virus is akin to salmonella on chicken and should be treated as such - I have that in an email they sent to all staff.

One carer thinks she caught it from her only contact with a positive patient - she was clipping her finger nails. So less than 15 min contact.

I am so sorry, this must be such a stressful time. I am so amazed by your dedication. I hope staff working in care homes have access to support and counselling when this is over because seeing 14 people you know and care about dying in front of you one after the other must be really traumatic. I can't even imagine.
Thank you for all that you do.