McKnight’s Long-Term Care News reported on an interesting study involving a correlation between COVID-19 and the structure of nursing home facility buildings. The study was conducted by Mohana Kunasekaran who analyzed nursing home data which included thousands of nursing home residents and staff from 757 nursing homes in 11 different countries. The study indicated that residents and staff in a single nursing home facility building were two times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those living and working in nursing home facilities with several separated buildings. The percentage of COVID-19 infections between single and separated nursing home facilities is listed as “50 % to 26%.” At the conclusion of this study, researchers believe that buildings whose structure has room for social distancing practices are best to limit the spread of COVID-19 infections in nursing homes. The author of this article mentions that the results of this particular study were very much alike a study performed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which found that smaller populated nursing homes had fewer COVID-19 cases than larger populated nursing homes. Remember, when choosing a nursing home facility, it is important to consider the structure of the facility, its staffing levels, and the number of residents.
Contact an Experienced Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney
COVID-19 has greatly impacted the nursing home industry, especially its residents and staff. Please check in with your family members or friends at their nursing home facility to make sure they are receiving high-quality care. If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse and/or neglect, please contact our seasoned trial lawyers at Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, L.L.P. Remember: Injury? Call DLP! (570) C-A-L-L-D-L-P.
Works Cited
Novotney, Amy. “Building design affects long-term care COVID-19 infection control: study.” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 2 February 2022, https://www.mcknights.com/news/clinical-news/building-design-affects-long-term-care-covid-19-infection-control-study/
