Care homes! | Mumsnet

Maverickess · 28/08/2021 15:05

I think it will happen, but it will be swayed by public demand/opinion, and as we know, that's massively divided.
Some people feel that the residents should be protected at all costs, even seeing relatives except through a window or on a screen, others feel the risk is acceptable if everyone is double vaccinated to ensure residents can maintain a decent quality of life by going out and seeing relatives face to face.
I know we have residents and families who are saying both of those things where I work - who's right?

mrshoho · 28/08/2021 15:11

I have this worry constantly. My Mum has recently moved into a carehome and i think how much better it would be without covid being around. The staff are so careful but it's inevitable that some will become infected and this risk increases as community cases go up. The home has to be clear 14 days from the positive case but by then someone else is positive and it starts all over again. I've been lucky in being allowed to visit as an essential caregiver to assist with meals. I do a lft and temp check and sign a firm to show I've not been in contact with confirmed cases. The government guidance does state that carehomes should allow an essential care giver to visit even when there have been cases but the overall decision rests with the home.

user3459 · 28/08/2021 15:16

Care homes are back to normal now though, aren't they? Unless the resident or the visitor has a positive case.

There are positive cases in care homes still, but thankfully they are mostly not that serious. The resident gets isolated for their 10 days, the same as any other people in the wider community.

Obviously visitors and staff with positive cases can't go in. But they can't go anywhere anyway, they should be isolating at home.

The care home I know lets the residents go and stay with their families (seems to be where most of the positive cases come from) and go out on trips. I don't see what further restrictions you want removing, other than you seem to suggesting that people with positive tests should not be isolating?

mrshoho · 28/08/2021 15:22

Each carehome has their own covid policy User. Some restrict visiting to all residents or close completely depending on the number of cases. My Mum's one closed completely and then allowed 1 visitor, once a week.

user3459 · 28/08/2021 16:03

Every week the staff take a lateral flow test which comes up negative. The pcr test they do always shows up one as positive

So did the grandma previously have Covid and is still giving a positive PCR test weeks or months later? I don't think PCR testing is advised for 3 months after infection due to the possibility of continuing to give positive results long after the risk of being infectious/having active infection has passed. Does this guidance not apply to care homes also?

Original poster

sprinkleyumnut · 28/08/2021 17:23

@Maverickess

I think it will happen, but it will be swayed by public demand/opinion, and as we know, that's massively divided. Some people feel that the residents should be protected at all costs, even seeing relatives except through a window or on a screen, others feel the risk is acceptable if everyone is double vaccinated to ensure residents can maintain a decent quality of life by going out and seeing relatives face to face. I know we have residents and families who are saying both of those things where I work - who's right?

It's not easy. I want them to be protected but at the same time have quality of life- most residents in care homes have dementia so they can't understand what's happened with this virus and its actually made a lot of them deteriorate mentally this past year. I think im more for seeing them be able to live life again but I agree all healthcare workers should be double vaxxed.

OP posts:

Original poster

sprinkleyumnut · 28/08/2021 17:24

@user3459

Every week the staff take a lateral flow test which comes up negative. The pcr test they do always shows up one as positive

So did the grandma previously have Covid and is still giving a positive PCR test weeks or months later? I don't think PCR testing is advised for 3 months after infection due to the possibility of continuing to give positive results long after the risk of being infectious/having active infection has passed. Does this guidance not apply to care homes also?

She has never had Covid apologies, it is the staff at the home who test postive.

OP posts:

Original poster

sprinkleyumnut · 28/08/2021 17:26

@user3459

Care homes are back to normal now though, aren't they? Unless the resident or the visitor has a positive case.

There are positive cases in care homes still, but thankfully they are mostly not that serious. The resident gets isolated for their 10 days, the same as any other people in the wider community.

Obviously visitors and staff with positive cases can't go in. But they can't go anywhere anyway, they should be isolating at home.

The care home I know lets the residents go and stay with their families (seems to be where most of the positive cases come from) and go out on trips. I don't see what further restrictions you want removing, other than you seem to suggesting that people with positive tests should not be isolating?

No they aren't. At care home grandma is in, 2 visitors at once. The residents don't have Covid it is literally just the staff, ever since grandma moved in, the past month each week one pcr test comes back positive from a staff member. For the residents protection and other staff the homes stay locked down.

OP posts:

Jamandlemoncurd · 28/08/2021 17:29

My mother is mid nineties with dementia. With reached the time with her that it's quality over quantity of life. She had enough capacity at the start of the pandemic to agree with this. She was of the opinion that she would rather take her chance with Covid than not see family and continue doing the things she enjoyed doing.

Porcupineintherough · 28/08/2021 17:49

I think it will happen in time. In time there will be less COVID around and more immunity or partial immunity. And possibly better treatments.

Maverickess · 28/08/2021 19:13

It's not easy. I want them to be protected but at the same time have quality of life- most residents in care homes have dementia so they can't understand what's happened with this virus and its actually made a lot of them deteriorate mentally this past year. I think im more for seeing them be able to live life again but I agree all healthcare workers should be double vaxxed.

I've seen the effects of loss of contact, and of a covid outbreak. Neither one is good for residents or staff.
I think that this is going to happen more with self isolation rules where contact and double vaccination changing, but hopefully short term. I think it was always going to happen as we moved more towards normality and whenever we did that, this having to isolate again and again was bound to happen.

Care homes are back to normal now though, aren't they? Unless the resident or the visitor has a positive case.

Not in my home, or any I know of in my area, we're still doing 30min visits and PPE by appointment only after a negative LFT, outside if possible and residents "allowed" (I hate that) to go out but not inside restaurants/shops or homes.
They're the LA rules, not ones just for our home. We follow what they've said but others have included stricter rules for their homes.

There are positive cases in care homes still, but thankfully they are mostly not that serious. The resident gets isolated for their 10 days, the same as any other people in the wider community.

Residents in care homes should isolate to their rooms for 14 days (if safe) and staff take an LFT daily (usually 3* a week) and the standard weekly PCR, from the date of the last positive test, and no non essential visitors (so basically emergency paramedics/drs, undertakers and nurses for things like insulin injections daily) I would agree though that hopefully the severity of the illness is reduced by being double vaccinated.