As we’ve been reading and hearing through the media, the flu this year started earlier and has been harsher than usual. Given the rapidity with which the virus spreads, the most likely places to pick up the flu are settings with large numbers of people, such as schools, shopping malls, hospitals, and nursing homes.
Nursing homes in Kentucky and elsewhere are coping with a huge increase in staff that call in sick either because they have the flu or they must stay home to take care of a child that has it. According to an article in the New York Times, a nursing home in Collinsville, Illinois, reports that 20 percent of its staff has called in sick this flu season, compared with the five percent of a typical year. Skip Brown, the owner of Home Instead Senior Care, says, “We’ve never seen it as bad as it is this year.”
Nursing Homes Bar the Doors
Elderly people are at increased risk of life-threatening complications from the flu, such as pneumonia. Knowing how dangerous it would be for their residents to come down with the flu, nursing homes around the United States are restricting and, in some cases, even banning visitors:
- The administrator of Marion Manor in South Boston has asked family members of its residents not to visit until the flu numbers decrease.
- Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, shut down two floors of the buildings, banned all visitors, discontinued social activities, and required residents to stay in their rooms.
- The director of nursing at Good Shepherd Nursing & Rehabilitation in Arkansas quarantined the facility for five days, calling residents’ family members to let them know what was happening and why: “to the benefit of all the residents.”
If You Visit a Kentucky Nursing Home
If you are going to a Kentucky nursing home that has no restrictions on visitors, you should still take the following precautions so that you don’t introduce a killer into the environment:
- Stay home if you are sick!
- Make sure you have had a flu shot.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes.
- Take a couple of minutes to clean and disinfect surfaces in your loved one’s room. Use antiseptic wipes to clean tabletops, doorknobs, bedrails, and any other surface that is frequently touched.
Has Your Loved One Been Injured In A Nursing Home?
If you believe your loved one is being subjected to nursing home abuse you need to speak with an experienced Kentucky nursing home neglect attorney as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our office directly at 888.450.4456 to schedule a free consultation.