Coronavirus infection rates are on the rise nationally. Much of this has been attributed to people ignoring Covid 19 safety guidelines, leading to community spread. This pandemic has highlighted the interconnected nature of our society. It has become more and more clear that all of us taking personal responsibility for our collective safety is the only way to prevent this horrific tragedy from getting exponentially worse.

Throughout the crisis we have seen this virus tear through nursing facilities and other congregate care settings like a wild fire, leaving an enormous death toll in its wake. Closing these facilities to the public has done little to slow the death rate as staff are able to come and go, in and out, between the facility and the community. By some estimates as much as 40 % of Covid19 deaths have come from congregate settings. We have long said that this model of long term care is broken and a danger to the lives of the disabled people living in them. While we continue to work to help as many people as possible transition to the safety of the community, we cannot just sit by and leave those who are currently living in these facilities to their fate.

The only way forward is for us to police ourselves. Wear a mask and other personal protective equipment and wear it properly, limit your social contact as much as possible, wash your hands frequently, stay at home as much as you can. You may not be worried about yourself getting infected, but every person you come in contact with can potentially be infected, and in turn infect others. Limiting community spread is the only way to keep people living in nursing facilities safe.

If you need assistance getting a loved out of a nursing facility, please contact us and ask for our Open Doors Transition Center: (585) 546-7510.