Vigilance urged for nursing home contacts
PEOPLE who visit nursing homes are being urged to be extra vigilant due to a recent spike in Covid-19 cases among older and more vulnerable age groups.
Nursing Homes Ireland has also reminded the public to be mindful of contacts with people who are working in or visiting nursing home settings.
Its CEO Tadhg Daly said: ‘The increase in cases in the community must increase our vigilance surrounding visits to nursing homes.
‘We urge anyone visiting nursing homes to ensure they follow public health guidelines and individual nursing home advice and measures. Failing to adhere to this can jeopardise the health and lives of people in our nursing homes.
‘We take this opportunity to remind people to be vigilant regarding nursing home residents and urge people too to be very attentive in their contact with staff in our nursing homes and those that visit them.’
Meanwhile, Alone, an organisation which supports older people, is calling on members of the public to be vigilant regarding older people who may be feeling particularly vulnerable as children go back to school this week.
Alone has received a number of calls from older people who are anxious that the return of children to schools will lead to another spike in cases, as outbreaks have developed in some other parts of the world following the reopening of schools.
Many older people also feel unsure of where they stand in terms of the current Government safety guidelines, and feel they have not been included in the reopening of society, Alone said.
It also said older people remain one of the most restricted and atrisk groups of the pandemic. Its CEO Seán Moynihan said: ‘In order to best advise and support older people and those who have been cocooning, we are asking for the consistent and clear guidelines for older people to continue as society gradually returns to normal.
‘Many older people who have called our support line are afraid to leave their homes in case they come into contact with a carrier of the virus. We seek to support all older people with advice based on their circumstances.’