Senior Living Is Not Overflowing With COVID-19
This gets me almost every day.
There is a lot of negative press that paints a picture of senior living overflowing with COVID-19. That is not the case.
Whereas many are advocating fiercely for hospitals and nurses (rightfully so), senior living has not received the same treatment. Many of our employees are doing great work, and they are truly the ones “on the front lines” as the expectation of the public is for us to take on an impossible task: preventing the virus from striking those who are most likely to get it, and most likely to be hurt by it.
Care workers are committed advocates who deserve support; senior living is not a money hungry industry that puts profit above people. If we wanted to make lots of money in a quick and easy way, we would not choose to care for people. It is hard work.
Thank you to our senior living providers. A great majority of you are doing everything in your power to protect our parents and grandparents.
Below is an industry article that says very succinctly what I have been thinking for a long time. (If you’re interested and read it, just understand it’s meant to be written for industry people – but it still makes good points that everyone should understand.)
Reporters and editors, rightfully wanting to warn their readers where the most infections lie, are prone to painting pictures of nursing homes and senior living communities overflowing with Covid-19.
Press coverage of Covid-19 has routinely included negative and scary headlines and stories about outbreaks at senior housing and care communities, with reporters tending to lump senior living and nursing homes together.
Senior living is fighting a three-front war, battling the virus, trying to keep businesses financially stable, and fighting a huge PR issue.
While public announcements about how Covid-19 affects the senior living business may at first seem to shine a negative light on our work, we ask that you see these announcements instead as a call for your support.
Read more at Senior Housing News.