Covid-19 had taken the lives of 181,000 people in U.S. nursing homes, assisted living and other long-term care facilities through last weekend, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation — 33 percent of the national toll. All types of nursing homes, no matter their quality, have been hit, according to an investigation of Medicare’s rating system by The New York Times. The troubles have intensified a spotlight on long-running questions about how communities can do a better job supporting people who need care but want to live outside an institutional setting. The occupancy rate in nursing homes in the fourth quarter of 2020 was 75 percent, down 11 percentage points from the first quarter, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, a research group. The reduced demand was tied to Covid-19, deaths from the virus and a steep decline in elective surgery that requires follow-up care in a skilled nursing facility, according to the group’s research.

Source: New York Times April 01, 2021 09:00 UTC