Ombudsman’s Facebook Chats Are Lifeline For Families Worried About Loved Ones In Nursing Homes

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Families with loved ones in nursing homes–unable to visit while getting frustratingly sparse information about them–have found a champion in Mairead Painter. Painter, the state’s long term care ombudsman, who works for the state Department of Aging and Disability Services, launched live chat sessions on Facebook that quickly evolved into a real-time information pipeline for families. “I was trying to think about how we can reach people. Normally, residents and family members are sometimes the last people to get information,” said Painter, whose office is independent of the state Department of Public Health.  “I wasn’t sure anybody would join [the chats].

Nursing Home COVID Deaths, Cases Continue To Rise

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Coronavirus cases continue to rise in nursing homes, increasing to 7,875 from 6,947 in a week, while deaths also rose to 2,190 from 1,927 during the same span, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Public Health (DPH). Nursing home deaths represent 60% of all COVID-related deaths, figures released show.  For the week, 263 nursing home residents died compared to 300 the week before. Of the state’s 213 nursing homes, 165 (77%) have at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, up from 163 a week ago. Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford reported the most COVID-19 deaths with 57, followed by Kimberly Hall North in Windsor and Abbott Terrace Health Center of Waterbury, with 43 each; and Shady Knoll Health Center in Seymour, with 35, according to DPH. The nursing home with the highest number of residents with COVID-19 is Arden House in Hamden, with 170, followed by Litchfield Woods in Torrington, with 127; and Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford and St.

Disparities

Food Safety Nets Are Straining Under Economic Meltdown

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Beyond the gleaming office towers overlooking I-95 in Stamford and the pleasure boats that frequent the city’s marinas, thousands of city residents are struggling with hunger, a situation worsened by the pandemic. Severe food needs in Stamford, which has the most COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, reflect the state and national food emergency wrought by record unemployment. Consistent with the national experience, Latino and black residents, who comprise about 40% of the city’s population, are disproportionately contracting COVID-19 and losing low-wage work. Latinos comprise 26% (33,000) of Stamford’s population, blacks 14% (17,000). The Brookings Institution has reported that more than one in five households nationally were food insecure by the end of April.

Coping With Pandemic: Managing Fear

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Fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 is reasonable – especially now with plans announced to start reopening Connecticut. There are things you can do to take precautions and be proactive and plan for your own safety. ConnHealthITeam · Coping With Pandemic: Manage Your Fear
C-HIT’s Colleen Shaddox talks with Rajita Sinha, Foundations Fund Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University and the founding director of the Yale Stress Center, about how to take control and manage fear during the pandemic.  

 

 

 

I-Team In-Depth

A Surge In COVID-19 Testing Needed Before Connecticut Can Reopen Safely

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Leslie Radcliffe looks ahead to the planned reopening of Connecticut’s economy beginning on May 20 with a mix of hope and anxiety. Hope, because people in her working-class Hill neighborhood in New Haven will be able to return to work, but anxiety because she’s worried that the “reopening” won’t go smoothly. In particular, she is concerned about testing for coronavirus. Will there be enough testing so the disease won’t catch fire again and threaten the lives and livelihoods in her predominantly black and Latinx neighborhood? Radcliffe, an administrative assistant at Yale University, has been working from home, but last week she began driving her brother to his job at Costco.

Coping With Pandemic: Resurgence Of Guilt

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Placing loved ones in a nursing home is often fraught with emotions, and a common one is guilt.  Many are feeling a resurgence of guilt now, knowing that they are at higher risk during this pandemic. Coronavirus has swept through 150 of the state’s nursing homes and, as of April 29, 1,249 residents have died — representing about 55% of all COVID-19 deaths.  As of last Thursday, there were 4,814 cases in nursing facilities. ConnHealthITeam · Coping With Pandemic: Guilt
Dr. Kirsten Wilkins, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, talks with C-HIT’s Colleen Shaddox about strategies you can use to help your elderly relatives – and yourself – cope during the pandemic.

Fines & Sanctions

Nursing Home Deaths Soar

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In Connecticut, nursing home residents represent more than one-half of all coronavirus deaths, according to a new report by the state Department of Public Health (DPH). Deaths in nursing homes rose to 1,249 from 758 in one week.  The 1,249 deaths represent 55% of the state’s 2,257 COVID-19 deaths. COVID-19 cases in nursing homes increased from 3,423  to 4,814, DPH said. Of the state’s 215 nursing homes, 150 have at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, up from 135 a week ago. Kimberly Hall North in Windsor and Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford reported the most COVID-19 deaths at 39 each, followed by Abbott Terrace Health Center of Waterbury, with 37; and Sheridan Woods Health Care Center in Bristol, with 28.

I-Team In-Depth

Children And Parents Feel The Strain Of Confinement

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Weeks into staying home from preschool, Betty, 4, threw herself on the floor and had a screaming meltdown. She had had a Zoom meeting with her class earlier that day, and every little thing was setting her off. “We don’t accept screaming in our house,” said Betty’s mother, Laura Bower-Phipps, professor and coordinator of elementary education at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. “So, we counted the screams, and when she hit three, my wife and I told her she needed to take a break for four minutes.” Betty took the break, came back and screamed three more times, and again went to her quiet spot for another four minutes. And so, it went on.

DPH: Nursing Home Conronavirus Deaths Rise To 768

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Nursing home resident deaths attributed to COVID-19 have more than doubled, from 375 to 768, in one week, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Public Health (DPH) released Friday night. COVID-19 cases rose from 1,713 to 3,423, the DPH said. Of the state’s 215 nursing homes, 135 have at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, up from 108 a week ago. The 768 nursing home deaths as of April 22 represent 43% of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. Kimberly Hall North in Windsor has reported the most COVID-19 deaths, with 34, according to the DPH, followed by Abbott Terrace Health Center of Waterbury, with 29; Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford with 27; and Sheridan Woods Health Care Center in Bristol, with 24.

Fear Grips Health Workers Caring For The Elderly

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For the past month or so, Leikish Nails has engaged in an elaborate ritual the minute she gets home from her shift at Touchpoints at Manchester, a skilled nursing facility that has seen four deaths and more than two dozen illnesses caused by COVID-19. She kicks her shoes off before she walks in, sprays them and leaves them on the deck before disrobing in potentially full view of the neighbors. Her clothes immediately go in the washing machine seconds before she jumps in the shower. “I don’t hug my kids as much as I used to,” the 38-year-old Willimantic resident said. “I’m afraid to hug my kids,” she said while crying during a recent phone call.