Large Number of Nursing Home Staff Still Not Vaccinated for COVID-19
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have been the center of the virus crisis. Yet, there are still large numbers of staffers not vaccinated.
Many Americans have embraced the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, yet the people closest to our most vulnerable have not done so in numbers you would expect.
According to federal data, 45% of nursing home staff are not fully vaccinated despite working with older and health-challenged individuals where COVID-19 is the most dangerous.
Data released from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that nursing home residents are vaccinated in large numbers. A national average of 78% is fully vaccinated in each facility.
Nursing home staff interacts with their families and other community members, in addition to the nursing home residents. This means nursing home staff become a primary vessel for the COVID-19 virus to enter and spread through facilities, studies suggest.
Check Your Loved One's Facility
You can visit the CMS's COVID-19 Nursing Home Data page to see the percentage of staff and residents in any federally certified nursing home.
You can look for the "Search for a Nursing Home" map and either use the search box or the zoom function to find the long-term care facility you are looking for.
Laura Shallcross, Ph.D., UCL Institute of Health Informatics, UCL, London, wrote in The Lancet Infectious Diseases that even a single dose of the primary vaccines give substantial protection against developing COVID-19 and could prevent its spread through a long-term care facility.
Many Families Prefer In-Home Care
Many in-home care providers and agencies take precautions to make sure their caregivers and the care recipients are safe. There has been an increase in professional in-home health care since the virus crisis started. Experts in the industry believe more people will select in-home health care, a trend that was already forming before the virus crisis began.
Generally, health insurance, including Medicare and supplements, pay little or nothing for long-term health care, leaving families to either pay out-of-pocket or become caregivers unless Long-Term Care Insurance is in place.
Medicaid is available for those with little or no income or assets, but you must use Medicaid providers.
About the Author
Washington Bureau
Contributor since April 22nd, 2021
Editor's Note
You have options available to you when you need long-term health care in the future; however, planning before you become older and in need of care will keep you in control of choices, protect assets, and reduce the stress and anxiety on your family.
Many American families choose some form of Long-Term Care Insurance to help them afford quality care in the setting they desire. Plus, when you have an LTC policy in place, you get to choose the type of care you wish to have instead of someone else or the government choosing for you.
Even small policies can fund in-home care making your future need for care easier for your loved ones. Since Long-Term Care Insurance is medically underwritten, you should consider obtaining coverage when you are in your 40s or 50s when you still enjoy relatively good health, and premiums are lower.
Research with Resources Available on LTC NEWS
Affordable LTC Insurance is the solution. LTC NEWS offers many resources to help you research to have an intelligent conversation with a specialist to shop and design an affordable plan.
Start your research by reading The Ultimate Long-Term Care Guide. There are tax incentives available as well - Long-Term Care Tax Benefits Guide.
The LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator will show you the current and future care costs where you live.
Find all the resources by clicking here.
Need Care Now? Need Help with LTC Insurance Claims?
If you or a loved one needs help now or has a policy and needs assistance processing an LTC Insurance claim, LTC NEWS can provide free assistance with no obligation. Click here.
If you find most of your assets are tied to your home, today's reverse mortgages might help in the solution for either funding Long-Term Care Insurance or paying for care. Learn more here.
Advertising and Marketing Opportunities on LTC NEWS
If you own a business or provide a service, you want to drive traffic to your website and find the right people to help. You want to improve your SEO. LTC NEWS can be an effective way to help you.
There are many marketing opportunities available, including sponsored content articles. Sponsored content offers you a long-form way to sell yourself, your company, and your ideas.
Learn more about how LTC NEWS can help you market your business, drive traffic, and improve SEO - click here.
Become a Guest Contributor for LTC NEWS
You can improve your website or blog's SEO and gain exposure and traffic at the same time by being a contributor to LTC NEWS.
Just write a story or ongoing column for LTC NEWS. Stay on topic with articles on health, aging, caregiving, retirement planning, long-term care, and other topics that interest adults over age 40.
You can even promote yourself, your business, and your website or blog. However, it must have editorial content exclusive for LTC NEWS and cannot be just an advertisement. It can include links to other sites, and you can share the article link once published on your website or social media.
Email your story idea or article: newsroom@ltcnews.com or click here.
Share News with LTC NEWS
Include LTC NEWS in your press release distribution. If your group, organization, business, political committee, etc., have news to share, send it to LTC NEWS. Email - newsroom@ltcnews.com
