N. J. Nursing home coronavirus deaths speak to national crisis

A LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILIES But many nursing homes had poor records for infection control before the crisis struck, which made them particularly vulnerable to the pandemic,

according to Patricia McGinnis, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. In March, for example, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported

that employees at 36 percent of nursing homes it inspected did not follow proper handwashing guidelines, and 25 percent failed to demonstrate the proper use of personal protective equipment.

Nursing homes “couldn't deal with _C. diff_, sepsis and MRSA,” McGinnis said, referring to a list of infections that swept through nursing homes before the pandemic. “With COVID-19,

the spread is just no surprise." A _Washington Post_ analysis of records from the 650 nursing homes that have reported COVID-19 cases found that 40 percent had been cited multiple times

for problems with infection control. Industry officials said that they are doing all they can but that the virus presents a “unique threat.” "Outbreaks are not the result of

inattentiveness or a shortcoming in nursing homes,” said a spokeswoman for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). “It's the combination of

the behavior of this virus and the unique threat it presents to the people we care for — older adults with multiple underlying health conditions. Nursing homes and assisted living

communities are doing everything they can with the limited resources they have been given to slow the acceleration of the virus for our residents." In New Jersey, which is reeling from

nursing home deaths, Evelyn Liebman, AARP state director of advocacy, said nursing homes have done poorly at communicating with families since the homes closed to visitors. Nursing homes in

the state are required to notify families within 24 hours if a resident has a COVID-19 infection, but that's often not happening, she said. Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, the New Jersey

ombudsman for long-term care facilities, echoed those concerns. "People are dying in nursing homes, and they are dying in some cases very quickly, and families in some cases are unable

to get information or updates on their loved ones,” Facciarossa Brewer said. “It's horrifying."