Several experts have suggested a shift in priorities among long-term care operators may be needed to improve infection control and quality of life for residents following the coronavirus pandemic.
With the national spotlight on nursing homes and their struggles, several nursing experts offered innovative ideas for improving infection control issues and residents’ quality of life, NPR reported.
David Grabowski, Ph.D., a healthcare policy expert for Harvard, suggested smaller facilities for residents and improving the inspection system.
“I would really think about smaller home environments where we value the caregivers and we value the residents,” Grabowski told the news agency. He added that he imagines houses with just eight to 12 residents living together.
“I think in general, we’ve had way too much focus in terms of regulation on quality of care and not enough on the quality of life in these homes,” he said.
On inspection control efforts, Grabowski suggested streamlining the survey process.
“Imagine I’m a surveyor right now, going into a nursing home to look at their infection control. If I see a problem with the way the staff is using the personal protective equipment,” he said. “I can write that down on a sheet of paper and take that back and say there were problems. [Or] I could help them immediately start to fix that.”
Other experts suggest that operators consider nonprofit facilities and get creative about the way facilities are designed and decorated to look like “actual homes.”
