With the vaccination rates increasing and more people seeing the benefit, families, responsible parties and prospective residents are seeing the need for care in a safe environment.
Mark Francis, vice president of special projects at Schonberg Care
The coronavirus pandemic hit the nation’s nursing homes and long-term care providers especially hard. According to The New York Times, at least 182,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported among residents and employees at such facilities. That accounts for roughly one-third of all deaths from the virus in the U.S.
As a result of the traumatic year, the industry is making changes. Experts predict strict infection control measures and enhanced screening to become permanent fixtures at many nursing homes and assisted living facilities, for instance – and more are embracing new technologies to help manage staffing, communication and other tasks.
The result is cautious optimism among local providers that the lessons learned during the pandemic will improve long-term care in the future.
Think Small
Audubon Care Homes, owned and operated by Michelle and Scott Lovitt, is now using a simple scheduling app that home health, hospice and other healthcare providers, as well as family members, can use to schedule their visits. Audubon operates Dreyfous House, a 10-bed facility near Lake Pontchartrain in Metairie. It will open another facility called Phosphor House later this year.
“This helps keep traffic in and out of the house to a minimum and helps us keep track of who was in the house at any one time,” said Scott Lovitt. “If someone tests positive for COVID-19, the flu, etc., we have the ability to easily identify who we need to contact.”
Audubon has also added air scrubbers to its air conditioning systems to kill airborne bacteria and viruses.
“This past year has really shined a light on the benefits of smaller assisted living homes over large assisted living facilities,” said Lovitt. “We have better control over the number of people we let in our house at one time. Throughout the pandemic, our residents were able to have one visitor per family per day. This really helped keep resident morale up and allowed families to see their loved ones.”
Vaccinations Easing Fears
“The industry is definitely on an upswing and coming back strong,” said Mark Francis, vice president of special projects at Schonberg Care, which operates 14 retirement communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. Locations in the area include Vista Shores near City Park, the Suites at Algiers Point, Beau Provence in Mandeville and Park Provence in Slidell.
“With the vaccination rates increasing and more people seeing the benefit, families, responsible parties and prospective residents are seeing the need for care in a safe environment,” said Francis. “We have learned that, in most cases, a senior care community is often the safest place to be, as our precautions and safeguards are in play 24/7 and our families are very supportive of the care and concern we put into visitation and safety.”
Francis said that temperature checks, masks and safe distancing don’t interfere with daily engagement.
“Our residents and families feel the peace of mind knowing that we always go above and beyond for their loved ones,” he said. “We have learned over the past many months how to accommodate for the situation at hand while keeping our residents at the forefront of our priority. Life in so many ways seems back to normal, and we will continue to provide the care we are known for here at Schonberg Care.”
‘Green House Project’
Poydras Home, meanwhile, is about to break ground on a renovation that will accommodate the “green house project” model of care, in which small groups of residents live in their own distinct shared homes.
Founded in 1817 as a refuge for children of widows left destitute by New Orleans’ yellow fever outbreaks, Poydras Home is no stranger to change. It moved to its current location at the corner of Jefferson and Magazine streets in 1857. A century or so later, it began providing care for older adults. In the early 2000s, it added “garden house” independent living and memory care.
The new green house project is designed to give residents more autonomy and help deliver a broader range of care from fewer employees.
“Instead of having housekeepers on multiple shifts per day enter your room — and multiple nursing aides help you get dressed, undressed and showered — you instead have a limited number of care partners who will fill all of those roles for a limited number of residents,” said Jennifer O’Neill Brammell, the facility’s director of marketing. She said Poydras Home is planning for groups of 12 to 14 residents in six homes.
“This results in greater consistency of caregiver — which the residents and families want as they bond with their caregivers — and less in and out in that home so less exposure through staff to COVID-19 and any other communicable diseases,” said Brammell.
Poydras Home will break ground in 2021 on two, three-story buildings linked by a glass atrium that will serve as the entryway for six separate homes, one on each floor. These new homes will feature open floor plans with “spacious living rooms, comfortable seating and fireplaces, dining rooms and state-of-the-art kitchens where residents can participate in meal preparation, private bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, and balconies and patios with beautiful garden views,” according to a press release.
Changes to In-Home Care
The lessons of the pandemic apply to in-home care as well.
Harry Spring, co-owner of Right at Home of Slidell, said the industry has embraced technology at different levels to ensure not only contact between individuals is kept to a minimum, but that caregivers are screened daily for exposure to COVID-19. Part of a national network, Right at Home offers everything from help around the house to daily medical assistance. New procedures range from mandatory daily telephone COVID-19 screenings for all staff working in the field with clients to virtual hiring procedures with new employees.
Spring said the company has also had an increased focus on sanitation, personal protective equipment, exposure screening and communication.
“We have seen communication channels increase related to the pandemic,” said Spring. “Information that used to take days to disseminate is now available in hours. This will not change but will increase as we face future challenges.”
Another positive development, said Spring, is that the pandemic “created a more unified and fluid healthcare industry. As a group, we have come together to not only share best practices but also combine our unique services to provide for our patients and clients during the pandemic. Our industry has always worked together for the benefit of the client; the pandemic forced us to work together faster with fewer barriers. This network is stronger than it has ever been, which will help our clients in the future.”
We have better control over the number of people we let in our house at one time. Throughout the pandemic, our residents were able to have one visitor per family per day. This really helped keep resident morale up and allowed families to see their loved ones.
Scott Lovitt, owner and operator of Audubon Care Homes