Worried About Your Elderly Loved One? What You Can Do to Keep Them Safe This Winter

Up until this year, retirement facilities and assisted living facilities were thought of as safe harbors for elderly family members. The facilities handle everything ranging from cooking and cleaning to medical care. But with the rise of COVID and the ease of transmission within those assisted living facilities, many families are starting to wonder what they can do to better protect their loved ones. Here are a few things you can do to better protect them this winter.

Find Out What the Facility Is Doing to Protect Them

Every assisted living facility should be taking precautions to protect residents from exposure to the virus. These should include limiting visitors, maintaining social distancing outside of rooms, and providing staff members with PPE to further reduce exposure. Contact the facility and speak with the director if possible. Find out exactly what they’re doing to limit the spread and make sure their efforts are in line with the state’s current protocols. If they’re still running the facility the same way they were prior to the pandemic, consider moving your loved one. Remember, the more people that show interest in what the facility is doing, the more likely they are to do everything right.

Give Your Loved One the Right Equipment

Unfortunately, access to PPE is limited and many facilities are only able to provide the minimum to their staff members and caregivers. If you can, provide your loved one with the tools they need to protect themselves. Send them disposable surgical masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer if you can. If disposable masks aren’t available, provide them with a three-layer reusable cloth facemask that they can put on anytime they interact with another person at the facility.

Report Any Violations as Soon as Possible

The state has established firm protocols that all retirement facilities and assisted living facilities are supposed to follow. Unfortunately, the only way to hold facilities accountable is if someone reports violations as soon as possible. Communicate with your loved one often and check in with the management regularly to make sure they’re doing what they can to keep residents safe. If you notice anything that doesn’t sound right or hear of a flagrant violation of the state’s rules, don’t ignore it. Report the facility to the Department of Health as soon as you can. The sooner they find out about the violation, the easier it will be for them to inspect the facility and help them get back on the right track.

Get Legal Help Today

If you suspect that your loved one’s nursing home, assisted living, or retirement facility is not doing their best to protect your loved one and reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19, don’t ignore it. Get the legal help you need to make sure your loved one is safe and well cared for. Contact Mark A. Simon Attorney at Law. Our legal team will do everything we can to help make sure your loved receives the care and attention they deserve without compromising their health and wellbeing.