The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

LOCAL nursing homes say they plan to enforce a number of precautionary measures to limit their residents’ risk of exposure to infection amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak.

While COVID-19 poses health risks for the majority of people, medical experts say senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to contracting the disease.

In an effort to be proactive, several senior citizen homes throughout New Providence told The Tribune they plan to revise their visiting regulations to limit the number of people who could possibly expose their residents to the virus.

Marsha McQueen, manager of Coastline Community Care Nursing Home, said while none of their residents has underlying respiratory issues, they were still concerned about the virus as some of the seniors were “medical patients with various ailments.”

“What we did immediately, based on the notices going out, is put in place where we are allowing immediate relatives only to visit,” she said.

“We also postponed all groups and civic groups doing the visitation and we’re asking all family members who are visiting to avoid coming in if they have a cold or the flu.”

“We’ve basically put in place all the guidelines that have been suggested, along with taking those same necessary precautions from a healthcare standpoint.

Mrs McQueen also said the nursing home is asking people to be mindful about the severe impact the virus can have on the elderly.

“If your job entails something where you have to interact with foreigners or large groups, then don’t come directly to the nursing home from there,” she advised.

“In a nursing atmosphere, sanitation and washing hands is a must. That is one of the things that we have always stressed. Those precautions are daily and we are pushing them even more.”

Dr Sinymae Capron, owner of the Good Samaritan Senior Citizen Home, added that they were being extra careful after discovering that elderly people are specifically at risk.

“We’re right here bracing in case anything (happens) because of what we heard happened in the US with the nursing home there where some folks died,” she said.

Dr Capron was referring to The Life Care Centre, a nursing home in Washington, DC, that had 19 residents who died after contracting the novel coronavirus.

“We don’t really have patients with underlying respiratory issues, but we’re still afraid because we have a lot of sick patients who are really ailing from stuff,” she said.

Dr Capron insisted they were being extra cautious with large groups of people and foreigners coming to visit residents.

“That’s something we’re watching right now, because some of these patients do have relatives abroad and sometimes they come to visit them. So those are things we have to look at,” she explained.

“We had a doctor that called us late in the night because yesterday we were supposed to take a few of them to the eye clinic, but they cancelled that because of all of the (fear surrounding the virus) so we were glad of that.

“With the elderly people, we give them the Clorox wipes to wipe their hands and we make sure they wash their hands. We also make sure all the door knobs are clean because people are always touching doors.”

Francis Ledee, owner of the Persis Rodgers home for the aged, said her nursing home was “watching and following” all of the news and information being published about the corona virus.

“We’re following step-by-step the directions that were issued by the chief health officer and the officials,” she said.

When asked whether any residents had underlying respiratory issues she added: “We don’t have any asthmatics per say, but they pick up colds and we’re watching that.

“We are following the directions of the health ministry and the government. Whatever they say we have got to follow it. It’s very possible we may have to cool down on public visiting, we may have to do that too.”