Safeguarding residents in nursing homes

In this Feb. 6, 2020, photo released by the California Department of Public Health, is a demonstration of the equipment and procedures that will be used at the department's Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory lab in Richmond, Calif., to conduct tests for novel coronavirus. This is not an actual test of a novel coronavirus specimen. (California Department of Public Health via AP)
The Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Active Aging and People with Disabilities, together with the Ministry for Health through the Social Welfare Standards Authority the Department responsible for Public Health, have been collaborating together since March to safeguard all residents in residential homes for the elderly. To do this, a number of preventive measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

In fact, today, following the latest developments regarding COVID-19 and in accordance with discussions and direction given by the public health authorities, the Social Welfare Standards Authority issued a circular stating that any head of a nursing home should ensure that residents leave the home only for medical appointments or when they need medical care.

In addition, since June 2020, the authorities have introduced the exercise of regular testing in residential homes for the elderly.

Actions taken include:

₋ Evidence-based protocols;

₋ New residents or those who were in the community are kept for a quarantine period before entering in a residence;

₋ Introduction of contingency beds to make insulation for located residents positive;

₋ Strengthen the means of infection control in residential homes;

₋ Regular testing of residents and staff. To date, more than 10,000 swabs have been made both among residents and even staff working in residential homes;

₋ Visitors do not have direct contact with the elderly but visits are made from behind the perspex. The relatives can also communicate with residents through technology;

₋ Reducing the number of people entering households for only those of essential work;

₋ Staff should, as far as possible, be limited to the home in which they work

It is worth noting that when COVID-19 spread in the community, it also affected nursing homes. Through regular testing, cases in nursing homes were immediately identified and further measures were taken for the benefit of the elderly and staff.

There are currently four nursing homes, Simblija, Casa Antonia, Casa San Paolo and Residenza San Ġuzzepp, which have positive COVID-19 cases and a total of 57 active resident cases.

In every residential home for the elderly affected by COVID-19, both residents and staff were tested. In addition, households are applying the staff-to-patient allocation process, safe bubbles on each floor as well as high infection control measures. All this is being done to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. In these homes, all residents who have been negative are being tested again after three days in order to have a high level of monitoring of this situation.

Relatives of all residents living in residential homes who have positive and negative cases are being informed of developments and the condition of residents.

The authorities are committed to continuing to safeguard the health and safety of all residents in nursing homes and will continue to increase the number of tests performed daily as well as monitoring through inspections by experts in infection control in these homes and care for those affected.

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