Should we just open nursing homes doors to all?

We hope everyone will think about this...it is reported 1,860 deaths in nursing homes through this COVID-19 Crisis in Ohio. We are not convinced they were all COVID. Some may have been natural deaths, and some may have been from neglect. It will take time to try to sort this all out.

Because nursing home residents are being affected greatly and this is a vulnerable population, is opening the door to all kinds of visitors and outsiders the answer?

We see on tv people are doing petitions to open, some are protesting. However, we are not clear that is the answer.

We have asked the Governor directly and through the media to do a task force composing of families and organizations like ours to work through this and figure out the best path.

It may be better to start with one family member going in for each resident with staggered times, having protective gear, and other procedures in place and start there. See how that goes, then keep moving forward.

We believe leaving interested parties out of the conversation makes it appear like government control. Including family spokespersons and advocates that truly represent the best interest of the elderly and not just say they do, would be a better direction.

We seek the best solutions that everyone can move forward with. We don't jump in to say just open the doors and let everyone in, we are more cautious because we want to start having family in, however, in a responsible and safe way that won’t cause more deaths. We have lost way too many already because things were not addressed the way they should have been.

The chaos needs to stop and solutions need to be worked on with the families and advocates like Elderly Advocates. When these conversations start, all will be working together for the best solutions to the issues COVID has brought to long-term care.