nursing homes

Activity manager Robert Speker worked with residents at England's Sydmar Lodge care home to re-create iconic album covers. Due to COVID-19, residents have been locked down in the facility for months.

At U.K. Care Home, Residents Brilliantly Recreate Iconic Album Covers On Twitter

5:18pm July 13, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Robert Speker wanted to keep spirits up while visitors and outside entertainment were banned due to COVID-19. His ingenious idea: cast the residents as rock stars.

Gloria DeSoto, 92, right, visits with her family, in their car, from a window of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, in New York, last month.

Health & Safety

Strict Rules Apply, But Visitors Will Be Allowed Back In New York Nursing Homes

10:58pm July 10, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The state issued new guidelines on Friday that require a facility to be virus-free for at least 28 days, limit the number of visitors and require masks and temperature monitoring for visitors.

Paramedics from the San Antonio Fire Department set up swabbing stations in a suburban nursing home's parking lot as part of the massive state intervention to stop the spread of infections in Texas nursing homes.

National

Texas Calls In A Strike Force To Try To Slow Coronavirus Spread In Nursing Homes

12:44pm June 15, 2020

by John Burnett

More than one-third of all COVID-19 deaths in America have been elderly residents and workers at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Kelly Womochil, an aide at Enterprise Estates Nursing Center in Enterprise, Kan., tries on a poncho that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending to nursing homes to protect against the coronavirus.

Health & Safety

Nursing Homes Run Short Of COVID-19 Protective Gear As Federal Response Falters

7:39pm June 11, 2020

by Jordan Rau

At least 711 nursing homes reported running out of N95 masks at the end of May, and 1,963 said they had less than a week's worth. "The federal government has got to step up," says one advocate.

Luann Thibodeau recently celebrated her 40th anniversary with her husband, Jeff. They ate dinner from Olive Garden while she remained on the other side of his nursing room window. The Thibodeaus have not been in the same room since mid-March when visitors

National

Banned From Nursing Homes, Families See Shocking Decline In Their Loved Ones

2:55pm June 09, 2020

by Ina Jaffe

Nursing homes banned all visitors and nonessential workers from their facilities in mid-March to stop the spread of COVID-19. Advocates and families want that ban to end.

Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma, pictured at a White House event last month, says her agency will be stepping up fines for nursing homes that fail to sufficiently control infections.

Nearly 26,000 Nursing Home Residents Have Died From COVID-19, Federal Data Show

9:14pm June 01, 2020

by Ina Jaffe

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says about 80% of nursing homes nationwide reported data to the CDC as required. The remaining 20% could face fines if they don't comply.

National

Ideal Nursing Homes: Individual Rooms, Better Staffing, More Accountability

5:01am May 21, 2020

by Ina Jaffe

Nursing home experts say priorities need to change, emphasizing quality of life over profits. The stunning COVID-19 death toll brings scrutiny to an industry that many believe is due for an overhaul.

Queue Listen Now

Dozens have died of COVID-19 at the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Brighton Township, Pa., pictured on May 12. Pennsylvania's health secretary defended the state's plan to test every resident and staffer at every nursing home.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Defends 'Universal' Nursing Home Testing Plan

5:27pm May 19, 2020

by James Doubek

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine responded to critics who say there are holes in the state's plan to test all residents and staff at nursing homes: "The plan is an evolution."

Seventeen bodies were found at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center in Andover, N.J. in April. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is investigating misconduct at nursing homes in the state.

National

New Jersey Investigates State's Nursing Homes, Hotbed Of COVID-19 Fatalities

12:18pm May 12, 2020

More than half of New Jersey's coronavirus fatalities were at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes. The state's attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, has opened an investigation.

Queue Listen Now

"It was certainly expected that nursing homes would be hit but it was not inevitable that they'd be hit this hard," Richard Mollot, executive director of New York-based Long Term Care Community Coalition, told NPR.

For Most States, At Least A Third Of COVID-19 Deaths Are In Long-Term Care Facilities

6:41pm May 09, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

The report comes as the government announced all states must now meet federal reporting guidelines. The type of information gathered by states up to now has been inconsistent.