The president of the Federation of Rest Homes tells us about his concerns.
We are in a very worrying situation. Official statistics of deaths in nursing homes are not reliable. We don’t know what it really is. What is clear is that there is an increase in the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 in nursing homes. The problem is that we test very few residents. We are trying to find solutions but we feel a lot of bitterness “, confides Vincent Fredericq, president of the Federation of nursing homes (Femarbel).
The president says he is very concerned about the absenteeism which strikes the sector of the nursing homes. “Absenteeism is at an all-time high. Staff have received certificates after a phone call to their doctor, which has caused a first wave of absenteeism. There is a claim to be able to test nursing home staff since the we are only going to start doing it. We have received 20,000 tests for 110,000 employees! We hope to have 40,000 by the weekend but that will not solve the problem! The only solution would be to test everything the world and to ensure that asymptomatic people can continue to work, otherwise the management of nursing homes will be impossible. “
Fredericq is also concerned about the residents’ health. “There have been directives. As a result, the elderly are hospitalized as little as possible. Some patients should have been hospitalized and died in their nursing home. This is incomprehensible when you know that there are beds available in the intensive care services. All services are in a very difficult situation but the elderly are not responsible. “
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