COVID-19 in Long-Term Care :
The Finger- Pointing Begins
By John Scherberger
Editor ’ s note
This article is part of a yearlong series describing an Industry journey led by environmental services and infection prevention toward better patient outcomes , quality and cost savings . This is one of two articles looking at long-term care-related issues .
The U . S . first heard of COVID-19 being on our shores when the story broke about unknown respiratory events at the CMS five-star-rated Life Care Centers of America in Kirkland , Wash . Keep in mind that the five-star rating is the highest awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS ) to nursing homes .
CMS and state inspectors
serve a genuine need to ensure that hospitals and nursing homes remain vigilant and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve . During times such as these , with COVID-19 returning to communities that thought they were ahead of the COVID-19 tsunami , only to find wave after wave battering their population , hospitals , and LTC facilities , one must ask a compassionate question : “ When a facility is doing its best
Expressions Explained
Three things need clarification before proceeding :
The term “ post-acute ” is a catch-all for a multitude of
1 disciplines and facilities that one cannot intelligently discuss without knowing what is to being addressed . For the purposes herein , post-acute refers to medical treatment received following a serious , critical , grave , life-threatening , or physical reaction to sharp , violent , excruciating , or idiopathic pain that renders the person unable or ill-prepared to return to their abode . Following medical treatment in a general acute-care hospital , such as surgery , some patients are referred for post-acute treatment and care for services focused on regaining a function level needed to go home .
What is “ care ?” For clarification , accept that there
2 is a difference between “ care ” and “ treatment .” The word “ care ” has become interchangeable with the term “ treatment ” or “ medical care .” In fact , “ medical care ” should be referred to only as treatment . “ Care ” and “ treatment ” are not the same , nor do they have the same goals . Everyone needs “ care .” Care is the personal touch , the human interaction that says : “ You ’ re important , how can I help you ?” Care removes the wall of isolation , so many people feel and isolation is deadly .
Treatment is a medical intervention intended to
3 provide a cure , relief , or mitigation of a medical or mental condition . Medical intervention is often not practical , will not reverse disease , and will not return a person to the desired quality of life . Often , treatment must be withdrawn , and the right course of intervention is palliative care and death with dignity . Indeed , care must always accompany treatment .
This country ’ s suicide rate has dramatically increased because of forced “ social distancing ” and its accompanying isolation , particularly among senior citizens wherever they live . For this article , it ’ s essential to recognize that the patient is a person first and a patient second and will always be a person first , with a medical or mental need , but still a person , not a disease or infection . An interesting bit of information is that the word “ patient ” has its root in the Latin words patientes estote , translated meaning long-suffering or one who suffers .
What is a “ crisis ?” It could be a catastrophe , a disaster , an emergency , a watershed moment , a turning point , a defining moment , a devastating event , or a tragedy . COVID-19 is all of these and more . A crisis can be medical , mental , or spiritual . COVID-19 is all of these and more .
It is understandable to say that the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on nursing homes ticks all of the necessary points to say there is a post-acute care crisis in this country ?
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