Dad got a rotten case of the flu & spent a few days in a hospital. He had his own room with all the usual viral precautions. Then was advised to transfer to a SNF for a few days to regain strength with physical therapy. He could not go to the facility he is already familiar with, but instead must go to another facility that has "isolation rooms" because he is still considered contagious. I agree, although the facility is very far from us & it denies my father access to a familiar environment - he is completely blind, so familiarity is a big deal. So off he goes.
I eventually go to visit him, assuming there’s not much I can do for him in “isolation”. Well I waltzed right into his facility wing without any questions. No masks, no IDs - an open door policy. Okay… I found my dad in a tiny room with 4 other patients coughing & sneezing away. Door wide open. His bed just 2 feet from the open main hallway. Dad looks infinitely worse than when he was in the hospital just a day ago. It legit broke my heart to see him like that.
Well I’ve been living under a rock, because apparently this cramming of “isolation rooms” with multiple patients with multiple various viral infections is a standard practice for NH & SNFs. I had no idea! I assumed these nursing practices had evolved in last 100 years. COVID, Flu, RSV, all mixing together in tight quarters… would could possibly go wrong.
I would love to hear the community’s thoughts & opinions on this standard of practice. Is this fine? Just do whatever you gotta do to squeeze em in? Or is cooking up new viral stews in confined spaces with vulnerable populations a cause for concern?
We really need to weigh if Rehab is really needed. Its a money maker for the facility. Medicare pays 100% the first 20 days. After my Moms last stay, she had Dementia, for just getting her strength back, I should have had her sent back to her AL with PT coming in,
Because my Dad is blind his phone talks out loud to him. And because he was in a tiny room with 4 other men, any messages I sent got eased dropped upon. One of his roommates got pretty upset when he learned my dad had the Flu. Poor guy was in recovery from chemotherapy! So he rightfully raised a little hell on his end. For my part, I kept asking questions of various case managers, social workers & nurses. I’m still genuinely trying to understand this concept of “isolation rooms” that are not in any way an actual isolation room. It looks & feels medieval. What am I missing? Are these nurses gaslighting me?
Well, dad & the chemo dude both got moved into single private rooms this evening.
But my trust is completely broken with this facility & my dad is strong enough to come home anyway. So we’ll be free of that place tomorrow. I’ve already begun the process of complaint to the county office that handles this stuff.
I suppose it’s alright to have 2 or 3 patients share a room while in recovery of the same specific virus that they have been tested for. But that’s not what I was witnessing.
When googling & looking through Reddit on the topic it seemed to be a legal practice for Nursing Homes & Rehabs to do. I just can’t wrap my head around how or why.
Sounds like this facility may be owned by a private equity fund. They're oriented ONLY to the bottom line!
You need to report this to whatever board licenses this facility in your state if this is legal. I cannot imagine it being so. Speak to administration and ask for licensing board; let them know you are reporting this today.
I was told by the facility case manager that it’s ok for them to be in the same room if they all “basically have the same thing”.
Well that “basically same thing” is getting spread nice & thick all over that entire facility. No masks, trash everywhere, bodily fluids abound. Grossly understaffed, but what else is new. I’m gathering my proof before I submit the official complaint.
What blows my mind is that practice appears to be completely legal - in California!
I agree with you… murderous comes to mind.