The Impact of COVID-19 on those in Long Term Care

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 48% of nursing home residents are living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and, among older adults in assisted living and other residential facilities, 42% or more have some form of Alzheimer’s or other dementia. And all those living in these types of settings have been isolated since mid-March.

But those are not just statistics for me… my wife Denise was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 56. She has been in a memory care facility for over 4 years. Since the lockdown of long term care facilities her condition has rapidly declined. While I agree that the lockdown is necessary to prevent Covid-19 infections the isolation and lack of family visits has accelerated the disease and caused her to lose weight and become more distant. Her decline is noticeably increasing as I continue to visit her through a window. She sorely misses the social interaction with me and other family members.

In May, the Alzheimer’s Association Long-Term Care Policy Recommendations highlighted the need for rapid-turnaround testing to ensure COVID-19 does not spread in these settings, and although access to testing has increased, a lack of access to rapid, point-of-care testing equipment and supplies have made it difficult to reopen safely for visitors. I commend Governor Kemp for deploying National Guard early to LTC facilities but more must be done. We cannot expect our loved ones in these settings to ever get out of isolation if we do not provide on-going testing.

I will be emailing the Governor and his team and calling his office to demand that people, like my wife, Denise, are prioritized now. Please take action now by asking Governor Kemp and Commissioner Toomey to implement the LTC Policy Recommendations put forth by the Alzheimer’s Association. Thank you.

Dan Goerke

Sandy Springs