California senior facilities: safety during coronavirus

The difference between nursing homes and assisted living and how are some regions faring when it comes to keeping seniors safe?

Federal orders to protect elderly residents from the coronavirus, senior care facilities around the country - and here at home... are on lockdown - admitting*onl* essential workers.

Even so - there have been numerous cases and deaths.

I wanted to find out - how does our region measure up when it comes to safety?

They are perhaps our most vulnerable members of the population& seniors.

Millions of our nation's elders call various levels of care facilities home.

Many skilled nursing homes - including several in california ave reported fast- spreading cases of covid-19 and deaths.

((4:03)) "in skilled nursing facilities there are usually two or three residents to a room, so they are in close quarters& if there was ever a perfect environment for a disaster to thrive, it's a nursing home."

((track)) passagesãis the regional agency which helps families navigate elder-care issues within butte, tehama, glenn, colusa and plumas counties.

I spoke with passages ombsudsman david beveridge about our regional status.

He says passages works with 57 facilities in the five county regionãboth skilled nursing; serving seniors with more intense medical needsã an* assisted living and/or memory careã for elders who need help with daily living.

Beveridge says so far& local facilities seem to be doing a good job of keeping residents safe& social distancing, limiting access and offering clients otuside communicaiton with technology and creative events.

((4:45)) "up to this point, our program service area has dodged a bullet.

We have not had one case of covid 19 either in assisted living or skilled nursing& it's not to say they're not there because we don't know without widespread testing" beveridge says he would like to see testing ramped up for the senior population.

Incidentally - as of last numbers; friday may 1st -ã the california department of public healthã which oversees skilled nursing centersã reports..

Zero cases and zero deaths in the five county region.

The california department of social servicesã which covers assisted living and memory care...reports zero cases or deaths.

To follow the statewide numbers within facilities, visit action news now.com, look under news, then newslinks - senior care