Why are care homes being so badly hit?

[ssd]

I know the elderly are very vulnerable and PPE is inadequate, but is there any other reasons? How is covid happening in all these care homes?

Because in lots of cases it would be incredibly unkind to try to ventilate or resuscitate those who are so old and in poor health anyway. It would also be very unkind to ship them to the Nightingale and have them nursed through the end of their lives in a very sparse sterile environment by caters with which they have no emotional connection.

Same reason it is happening in care homes across Europe. Because this virus discriminates against older people. It’s not rocket science.

Well the two reasons you said.

The people living in care homes usually have most of the co-morbidities that make you most likely to die from Covid-19.

Then there is the great difficulty in enforcing social distancing, especially if residents have dementia and wander, or don't remember anything you tell them. For example in my FIL's care home, one resident would be regularly found in FIL's room, FIL wandered up and down the corridor all day, everyone has a routine of being in communal areas and seeing their friends and would struggle with understanding why that has stopped etc etc.

Then lack of PPE - you would get through masses of gloves, masks and aprons in the course of a day. Care homes had none of this and weren't even designed to have sinks in sensible places.

It's a nightmare for infection control.

Elderly people are more likely to become infected if they are exposed to the virus (e.g. over 60 were much more likely to become infected (18 per cent) than those under 20 (five per cent)) and infection is spread by close and prolonged contact in enclosed environments e.g. care homes not casual community encounters. It is a disease of the elderly primarily.

My mum is in a care home, she has a dnr, like many others in there.

Because viruses spread wherever you bake lots of people living closely together and sharing facilities - care homes, hospitals, cruise ships, etc. And being vulnerable adds another dimension.

Also elderly people with cv were discharged from hospital to homes instead of to what we used to call cottage hospitals hence taking the virus in with them. Isolation impossible.

Because social distancing is incredibly hard. Patients with dementia who don't understand what is going on so don't follow the 'rules' Physical care needs to be provided so even with PPE and immense staff care there is still possibilities for transmitting. many residents have DNR's or requests not to be admitted to hospital because it would be unlikely to work and distress them immensely. And most residents have other health conditions or are frail.

Any infection hits carehomes hard - norovirus and flu are the usual winter ones. This one is just worse/

People in nursing & residential home are generally close to the end of their lives too - I think for nursing homes the average stay until death is 11 months & for residential it’s two years.

All of the above.

Also, and I am sorry to say this, most privately run care homes are run for profit, so staffing levels are minimal especially overnight and at weekends, often staff are poorly trained and while most care workers are lovely and kind and do their very best in difficult circumstances some sadly are like my neighbour who I wouldn't trust to look after a stone let alone a vunerable human being.

Because about a month ago hospitals discharged people into care homes without testing them. On Department of Health orders.

Because care workers do not live in a vacuum and even low levels of community infection equates to high levels of infection and death in care homes.

There's also the issue of staff in and out all of the time.
The use of agency staff going from one care home to another covering shifts the usual carers can't cover.
District nurses covering different homes that don't provide nursing. These district nurses move around different care settings daily and they also do visiting in the community.

It's very difficult to socially distance in a care home. I have 2 relatives in care homes. One has has learning difficulties the other dementia, they either don't understand or keep forgetting the rules. Also they both have care needs so are in very close contact with carers. They also have health problems.. If either of them get the virus I don't think they would survive.

@viques
Agree 100% with your comments.

Thanks. I didn't fully realise that patients were being discharged from hospitals back into care homes without testing. That's criminal. Also district nurses and agency staff going between homes. That makes more sense now. I just couldn't understand how it was getting into all these homes in the first place.

The BIGGEST cause of Covid in Care Homes has been the government policy of not testing hospital patients on their discharge back to care homes.

It’s right there in the official documentation. “it is not necessary to test patients prior to discharge to residential care settings”.

It’s criminal. Wilful, deliberate spreading of Covid to the most vulnerable.

And we are celebrating VE day whilst those that lived through it are being left to die. Utterly heart breaking. This government has blood on its hands.

And their carers also OP

Some of the for-profit homes are 'pack 'em in' mentality, especially those catering for mostly LA-funded residents.
There's no space to isolate & shared facilities.
Some residents have been discharged from hospital even if they're Covid-19.
I'm also hearing that some homes have been infected by asymptomatic staff - ie no symptoms, no temperature showing up on daily pre-shift checks but still contagious.
Very sad.

There were staff interviewed on tv saying some carers continue to work in carehomes with covid as they cant afford to go off sick. That is appalling. Especially if the managers know and did nothing.

Because people were discharged from care homes without being tested.

Which is a bloody disgrace and proves to me this government don't give a toss about the elderly and were willing to sacrifice them 'because they were going to die soon anyway'.

I blame the government entirely for this.

Over 60% of care home residents died if the flu virus in UK in 2017/2018. Nothing new. They're mostly old and infirm. Most staff have young families and relatives they take care of outside of work. Unless you put staff in hazmat suits it's just one of the many things they will die with.

Agree with all above, it was a disaster waiting to happen.