Seniors in post-acute care centers account for more than a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide. Facilities have also been overwhelmed by costs and they are asking for aid from the federal government.

Mark Parkinson, president, and CEO of the American Health Care Association, which mostly represents for-profit facilities, says in an NPR Daily Newsletter that they hadn’t faced a virus like this before, where people could be positive without showing symptoms. “The system didn’t know how to react to it,” says Parkinson “and unfortunately, mistakes were made”. He went on to say “when the crisis hit, nursing homes didn’t have the reserves to deal with it. Nursing homes for the most part across the country, were underfunded coming into the pandemic”.

The article quoted above was published on October 22, 2020. The article did not reflect kindly on our sector and the information can be misleading as Mr. Parkinson attempted to clarify. It is a “worth read” but basically undercuts what providers actually do day-in and day-out, care for seniors who can’t care for themselves. Read it, digest it, take it to your elected representatives and set the record straight. We are all in this together, dogging us serves no purpose and incites anger in families and residents who are already isolated, lonely and depressed. Please stay the course, stay strong, stay well, stay safe, mask up, stay tuned!