Aging

More than six months after COVID-19 arrived in Pa., the public still doesn’t have a full picture of how many people have died or been sickened by the virus in nursing homes.

Delaware’s nursing home death rate related to the coronavirus is well above the national average. AARP is urging state leaders to take action.

The Justice Department is asking whether policies “may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents.”

Long-term care facilities account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, but more than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths.

Residents ages 65 and up can stop by Redding Government Building to pick up a fan, but they must wear a face mask and practice social distancing.

The Department of Health is establishing new mandatory benchmarks based on state, CDC and CMS guidelines.

Nursing home residents and staff represent a tiny share of the U.S. population but account for as many as 4 in 10 coronavirus deaths, according to some estimates.

A WHYY analysis found that fewer than 0.7% of Delawareans live in long-term care facilities, but those residents account for 8.2% of COVID cases and 62.3% of related deaths.

Parents and legal guardians of residents in long-term care facilities in New Jersey may soon visit by appointment. Officials have not yet released a timeline.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationwide and regionally; that’s true in Philly as well, which is now averaging about 100 new cases a day.

Even before COVID-19, complaints piled up over challenging conditions, inadequate care and insufficient staff.

The state in March banned outside guests in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which had been reporting a significant number of COVID-19 cases.

These collaboratives will be tasked with implementing best practices for infection control and expanding testing to "asymptomatic staff and residents," a critical need.

The Wolf administration was repeatedly warned of dangerously low minimum staffing and weak and inconsistent inspections, all problems that could have made the outbreak worse.

As boomers age, hospital systems, government agencies, insurers have shifted long-term care away from costly institutions. The pandemic may accelerate that.