Never before have so many Dutch nursing homes been infected. However, closing nursing homes is out of the question, says Jacqueline de Groot, president of Verenso (association of specialists in geriatric medicine). Full efforts must now be made to put the booster shot.
It is currently very difficult to get care in many nursing homes, because staff are also increasingly becoming infected. “Everyone is helped as much as possible with hand-and-span services,” says De Groot. You see that sometimes double shifts are worked, that someone from the technical service is suddenly pouring coffee. You try to do everything you can to keep it as good as possible for the people.”
‘Never close nursing homes again’
But are the nursing homes closing? It couldn’t be otherwise the first time, says De Groot. “At the time, there were insufficient tests and protective equipment, so that had to be done to contain the virus. But then everyone started thinking about how this could be prevented.”
Ben de Koning, director of care institution Frankeland in Schiedam, also believes that nursing homes should “never” be closed again. “These people are in the last phase of their lives. If you also have to do that without visitors, we won’t do that anymore.”
‘Booster shot came too late’
The most recent figures from the RIVM show that there is at least one corona infection in 947 nursing homes. The nursing home of De Koning is one of them. “Since October 19, we have had approximately between fifty and sixty infected residents, and just over forty infected employees,” he says. He also emphasizes the importance of the booster shot. “The booster shot just came too late,” he says. “Let’s learn from this, because we probably have to go back in six or seven months.”
De Groot agrees. The booster shots in people over 80 started on 18 November. “Certainly in houses that have their own medical service, things are going well,” she says. “They can order their booster vaccinations themselves and it is examined per region how it can be arranged in small-scale houses where there is no medical service.”
But it’s not just about the booster shot, says De Groot. It is also important that the infection rates as a whole go down again and that the measures are better adhered to. “Because as a result, it enters nursing homes, where vulnerable people still live who can work with the slightest sign of serious illness.”
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By: Marinka Wagemans
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