It’s no secret that nursing homes across the country have been hard-hit in this pandemic and residents and their families are rightly concerned about safety.
Nursing homes are hard-hit by the coronavirus.
Here are two developments you will want to watch.
Commission on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 30 announced a new independent commission, Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Commission will provide independent recommendations and report to CMS to help inform immediate and future responses to COVID-19 in nursing homes.
Quick. You or your senior loved one is running a fever, coughing and struggling to breathe. You suspect COVID-19 and a full-blown medical emergency starts to unfold. Medical professionals will need to quickly know the patient’s health conditions, medications, healthcare providers and emergency contacts.
Are you ready?
The Centers for Disease (CDC) recommends developing a Care Plan now as part of your emergency preparedness.
What is a Care Plan?
A care plan is a document that summarizes a person’s health conditions and current treatments for their care. The CDC offers a handy form you can use, Complete Care Plan. This is a fill-able form you can complete on your computer or print and complete by hand.
How Do You Develop a Care Plan?
The CDC offers these tips
Start a conversation about care planning with the person you take care of.
Talk to the doctor of the person you care for or another health care provider.
Ask about what care options are relevant to the person you care for.
Discuss any needs you have as a caregiver.
And remember, care plans can reduce emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and improve overall medical management, especially during a medical emergency.
Several coronavirus scams are surfacing which will affect seniors most of all. Here are some scams to watch out for and reliable sources for information.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur is “encouraging all Marylanders to be aware of individuals attempting to profit from the coronavirus pandemic,” reported Marcia Murphy, a USAO spokeswoman. The Cecil Whig’s recent article entitled “Maryland U.S. attorney warns of COVID-19 scams; Cecil County remains vigilant” cautions that coronavirus scams are being uncovered around the country.
Scammers have been sending e-mails to people claiming to be from local hospitals offering coronavirus vaccines for a fee. However, no vaccine is currently available for the coronavirus. Some of these criminals are using websites that appear to be legitimate but are actually fake websites that infect the users’ computers with harmful malware or seek personal information that can be later used to commit fraud. Many of these coronavirus scams prey on the most vulnerable, especially the elderly.
Effected individuals need to contact the police if they think someone has targeted them for a scam and to educate themselves on the COVID-19-related scams by checking official government websites, like the CDC.gov for information. Many governmental groups, including at the state and local levels, are also hosting coronavirus information pages. For example, Harris County, Texas has provided a public health page with information about the virus and resources for assistance. http://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/Resources/2019-Novel-Coronavirus
Individuals need to scrutinize anyone who makes a contact with them about a COVID-19 vaccine—which does not exist—and to report any such interaction to law enforcement.
Late last week, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr sent a memo to all U.S. Attorneys, in which he made the investigation of these coronavirus scams and the individuals perpetrating them a priority. Therefore, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are prepared to investigate these frauds.
The Federal Trade Commission has consumer information about coronavirus scams on its website, including a complaint form to report scammers. Elderly victims can also call the newly launched Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), if they believe they are victims of coronavirus scams—or any other type of fraud.
In addition to selling bogus cures and infecting computers by using COVID-19-related communications, other examples of coronavirus scams include:
Phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Those asking for donations for fraudulently, illegitimate, or non-existent charitable organizations; and
Scammers posing as doctors, who ask for patient information for COVID-19 testing and then use that information to fraudulently bill for other tests and procedures.
Barr asked the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19, by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or by e-mailing the NCDF at disaster@leo.gov.
