Living, Dying Alone in Nursing Homes
2020-04-29
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1As doctors know too well, the disease COVID-19 can be deadly for two groups of people: those with some pre-existing health conditions and older adults, or the elderly.
2Places that care for older adults are being severely tested in the current health crisis.
3Nursing homes are working hard to protect their residents from the new coronavirus.
4And they are helping these individuals deal with the issue of loneliness and possibly dying alone.
5Last month in Belgium, the government ordered businesses to close and people to stay at home to limit the spread of the virus.
6During the first weeks of the stay-at-home order, many nursing home residents were separated from their loved ones.
7Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes wanted to do something to deal with the problem.
8She announced that her government decided to let one person - in good health - visit each resident.
9Wilmes told parliament that, "People can die of loneliness," and that a long period of isolation has "consequences."
10The prime minister was criticized for her decision.
11The Associated Press (AP) reports that people feared visitors to nursing homes would "endanger lives and overburden the staff."
12Belgium is not alone in facing the issue of whether to ease safety rules at a time when health care workers are fighting to save coronavirus patients.
13Italy, Spain, Britain and France are four countries hard hit by the virus.
14All have banned nursing home visits to protect their sick and elderly residents.
15However, some countries are rethinking that ban.
16France is trying to find a middle ground.
17Recently, President Emmanuel Macron ordered an exception to one of the world's strongest lockdowns.
18It permits family members to visit loved ones at the end of their lives.
19On April 20, France began allowing two family members to visit any loved one in a nursing home.
20But there are conditions, the AP notes.
21Visitors must wear a face mask and sit at least one meter away from nursing home residents.
22Also, they cannot put their arms around or hold residents during their 30-minute visit.
23In Berlin, Germany, nursing home patients are permitted one visitor for up to one hour a day.
24Also, there are no restrictions on visits for those nearing the end of life.
25The AP reports that South Africa has begun to take precautionary measures at nursing homes.
26However, in most of Africa, concerns about aging populations have not been as much of an issue as they are in Europe.
27The AP notes that Africa is the world's youngest continent (with a median age of just 19.7 years) while Europe is the oldest.
28In the United States, federal government guidelines call for halting all nursing home visits except during end-of-life and unusual situations.
29They note that visitors should come with personal protective equipment, or PPE.
30Some people in the nursing home industry warn that loneliness can be deadly.
31Marc Bourquin is with the Hospital Federation of France, an organization that oversees public nursing homes.
32He noted the need for all elderly residents to have visitors.
33This is especially important, he adds, if the stay-at-home orders last for months.
34He warned that "the risk of virus will not disappear as long as there is no vaccine.
35We cannot condemn these people to never see their loved ones again."
36However, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Ursula warns that isolation restrictions in nursing homes might last through 2020.
37"Without a vaccine," she said, "contact with the elderly must be restricted as much as possible."
38She told the AP that this is "difficult and that loneliness weighs heavy. But it's about survival."
39Recently, Pope Francis called on the world to pray "for those who are isolated in care homes for the elderly. They are afraid, afraid of dying alone."
40I'm Anna Matteo.
1As doctors know too well, the disease COVID-19 can be deadly for two groups of people: those with some pre-existing health conditions and older adults, or the elderly. 2Places that care for older adults are being severely tested in the current health crisis. Nursing homes are working hard to protect their residents from the new coronavirus. And they are helping these individuals deal with the issue of loneliness and possibly dying alone. 3Last month in Belgium, the government ordered businesses to close and people to stay at home to limit the spread of the virus. During the first weeks of the stay-at-home order, many nursing home residents were separated from their loved ones. 4Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes wanted to do something to deal with the problem. She announced that her government decided to let one person - in good health - visit each resident. 5Wilmes told parliament that, "People can die of loneliness," and that a long period of isolation has "consequences." 6The prime minister was criticized for her decision. The Associated Press (AP) reports that people feared visitors to nursing homes would "endanger lives and overburden the staff." 7Belgium is not alone in facing the issue of whether to ease safety rules at a time when health care workers are fighting to save coronavirus patients. 8Italy, Spain, Britain and France are four countries hard hit by the virus. All have banned nursing home visits to protect their sick and elderly residents. 9However, some countries are rethinking that ban. 10France is trying to find a middle ground. Recently, President Emmanuel Macron ordered an exception to one of the world's strongest lockdowns. It permits family members to visit loved ones at the end of their lives. 11On April 20, France began allowing two family members to visit any loved one in a nursing home. But there are conditions, the AP notes. Visitors must wear a face mask and sit at least one meter away from nursing home residents. Also, they cannot put their arms around or hold residents during their 30-minute visit. 12In Berlin, Germany, nursing home patients are permitted one visitor for up to one hour a day. Also, there are no restrictions on visits for those nearing the end of life. 13The AP reports that South Africa has begun to take precautionary measures at nursing homes. However, in most of Africa, concerns about aging populations have not been as much of an issue as they are in Europe. The AP notes that Africa is the world's youngest continent (with a median age of just 19.7 years) while Europe is the oldest. 14In the United States, federal government guidelines call for halting all nursing home visits except during end-of-life and unusual situations. They note that visitors should come with personal protective equipment, or PPE. 15Some people in the nursing home industry warn that loneliness can be deadly. 16Marc Bourquin is with the Hospital Federation of France, an organization that oversees public nursing homes. He noted the need for all elderly residents to have visitors. This is especially important, he adds, if the stay-at-home orders last for months. 17He warned that "the risk of virus will not disappear as long as there is no vaccine. We cannot condemn these people to never see their loved ones again." 18However, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Ursula warns that isolation restrictions in nursing homes might last through 2020. 19"Without a vaccine," she said, "contact with the elderly must be restricted as much as possible." 20She told the AP that this is "difficult and that loneliness weighs heavy. But it's about survival." 21Recently, Pope Francis called on the world to pray "for those who are isolated in care homes for the elderly. They are afraid, afraid of dying alone." 22I'm Anna Matteo. 23Anna Matteo adapted this story from two reports from the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26elderly - n. / adj. old or rather old : past middle age 27nursing home - n. a place where people who are old or who are unable to take care of themselves can live and be taken care of 28isolated - adj. separate from others 29consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions 30overburden - v. to give (someone or something) too much work, worry, etc. : to burden (someone or something) too much 31staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization or business 32precautionary - adj. to take care of something in advance 33median - mathematics : the middle value in a series of values arranged from smallest to largest