Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Residents and Families Cope With Pandemic

There are 71,000 people living in 691 licensed nursing homes in Florida, and thousands more in assisted living residences. Nursing homes and assisted living residences provide comfort, security and help. But these days, they also provide everything the corona virus needs to get a foothold: groups of older, more susceptible people living in close proximity to one another.

A blizzard of new federal and state rules to protect residents' health have been issued over the last few weeks. Those same rules are leaving many residents lonely and isolated, as well as demanding heroic efforts from facility staff. Here is an overview of the key rules under our “new normal”:

You cannot visit, for now

On March 14, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration banned most visitors to long-term care facilities and assisted living residences. The ban lasts for 30 days, but may be extended. Exceptions may be made for compassionate visitations (end of life visits, for example). Anyone seeking entry to a facility may be given a screening questionnaire and have their temperature taken. Staff members are also checked for fever upon arrival.

Communal dining and other group activities have been curtailed. Residents are also discouraged from leaving the facility except for essential services.

How can you stay in touch with a resident?

By now you’ve probably seen news clips of family members standing outside residents’ windows, blowing kisses and holding up signs. But there are other, simpler ways to stay in touch with your loved one. Phone calls. Old fashioned letters. (Although some are worried about infected paper surfaces, the CDC and WHO say that this is an unlikely means of viral transmission). In some facilities, a staff member goes from room to room to coordinate video chats for families via skype, face time, etc.

How you communicate with your loved one will obviously depend on many factors, including your technical expertise, technology available at your loved one's residence, and your loved one’s cognitive functioning.

You won't necessarily know if the residence has COVID19 cases

As of March 31, 66 long-term care residents at 19 different facilities in Florida had tested positive for the virus. While  families naturally want to know if their loved one's living facility is affected, Florida is withholding the identity of affected facilities. According to the AHCA, releasing the information would violate HIPAA privacy laws. And Florida Governor DeSantis believes the information would cause relatives to worry unnecessarily. Critics counter that HIPAA applies to individuals, not facilities, and that being kept in the dark causes more worry. In any event, Stefan Grow, an attorney for ACHA, says the information will be released only when “…the State Health Officer’s determination that release of the information is necessary for the protection of the public’s health.”

No new admissions

In order to protect residents and staff during the pandemic, long-term care nursing homes are accepting new residents only if they are transferring directly from a hospital stay. Hospitals must follow strict protocols to ensure that discharged patients have tested negative for the virus. 

Assisted living facilities are accepting new residents, but only after careful screening to ensure the applicant is virus-free. 

Here's hoping that we return soon to the OLD normal. Good health to all!

Luxe Living for Seniors a New Trend

While the majority of Americans worry about having enough money just to last their lifetime, there's a vastly smaller group with a different set of concerns: Ultra-wealthy seniors who live in luxurious surroundings, and want to keep it that way. It's that group that's starting to catch the eye of developers.

Enter a new housing market: upscale, boutique-style living that goes above and beyond the traditional senior living community in furnishings and services. Not surprisingly, Manhattan is where the new trend is getting its start.

For example, Bloomberg reports that Maplewood Senior Living, which owns assisted living properties nationwide, has invested with Omega Healthcare Investors to build luxury housing for aging individuals on 93^rd Street and Second Avenue, on Manhattan’s east side. Assisted living, enhanced care and memory care units will be available. With high-end finishes and furnishings throughout, the 23-story building will have a doorman, movie theater, salon, spa, heated indoor swimming pool, library, and a skypark indoor garden on the 16th floor. Maplewood's own farm will supply food, so the property's various dining venues will provide farm-to-table gourmet fare. Staff, who will not wear clinical-looking clothing, will be able to arrange for Broadway tickets and restaurant reservations. The building is set to open in 2019.

I bet I know your next question. Here's the answer: Units start at $12,000 per month. 

Manhattan's midtown area, at Lexington Avenue and 56th Street, is also getting an upscale property for seniors. Welltower Inc. and Hines' 16-story project will feature luxury apartments with 10-foot ceilings. The developers are consulting with designers to produce an environment that is as safety-conscious as it is sumptuous. Carpet and wall colors and patterns will not be too contrasting or confusing. Handrails will be integrated with hallway wainscotting. During the day, hallway lighting will have a blueish cast to promote wakefulness; in the evening, it will have a yellow tint to promote sleep. Bloomberg reports that rent for some units will exceed $20,000 per month.

 

Can you afford this kind of lifestyle but don't want to move to New York? Not to worry. Similar projects are being eyed for Miami, Los Angeles and London.

Florida law introduces ALF reforms, should keep some residents from having to move to nursing homes

A new Florida law is expected to prevent assisted living residents from having to enter nursing homes prematurely. The new law, HB 1001, gives ALF staff who have certain training the authority to help residents perform routine health-related tasks such as insulin monitoring, using nebulizers, connecting cpap machines, etc. In the past, otherwise healthy residents who were not capable of performing these tasks independently often have had to transfer out to nursing homes.

The law also directs the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to provide consumers with more data about the state's assisted living facilities, allowing for more informed choices. HB 1001 went into effect July 1, a culmination of four years of legislative efforts to raise the quality of the state's 3,027 assisted living facilities. It imposes stricter regulations and empowers the Agency for Health Care Administration to levy tougher fines on facilities that don't measure up. 

Other features of the new law include:

• Requires facilities to inform residents that any complaint lodged by a resident with the state's long-term care ombudsman is confidential, and imposes fines on facilities that retaliate against a resident who has made a complaint. 

• Requires staff members to go through 2 hours of training before they may interact with residents.

• Fines a facility $500 if it does not do a background check on a new hire.

• Doubles fines on facilities that do not correct serious violations within six months.

• Requires special mental health licensing for an ALF that is caring for one or more state-supported residents who is mentally ill.  

You can read the text of the law here.