Nursing Homes Prevention and Control

The elderly are a vulnerable and high-risk group of the novel coronavirus with weak self-protection awareness. The institutions for elderly rehabilitation, nursing, and elderly care should take protective measures for the elderly. 

In late January 2020, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued a notice requesting all localities to make every effort to prevent and control the novel coronavirus in elderly care institutions to ensure the safety and health of senior citizens.

According to the Prevention and Control Protocol for Novel Coronavirus (1st Edition), major measures to be taken by the elderly care institutions included daily preventive measures and counter measures in case of suspicious symptoms of elderly people. 

During the epidemic outbreak, the elderly care institutions were recommended to perform closed management. Technically they should not receive visitors from outside, the elderly should not leave the institutions, and the institutions should not accept new arrivals. The elderly who have to go out should be put under close observation after returning to the nursing home. 

The old-age care institutions should establish health records for the elderly and staff, and conduct daily morning check-up and health registration; conduct registration of visitors and demand all visitors wear surgical masks; encourage the elderly to wash hand frequently and keep their rooms clean and tidy. 

In case of suspicious symptoms of an elderly, the institution should promptly arrange a single room for quarantine, ask the medical staff to assess his/her health status, send him/her to the medical institution for treatment depending on the condition, and suspend visits to the elderly.

養老機構防控

老年人群是新冠病毒易感高危人群,自我防護意識普遍較弱,因此,老年康復、護理、養老等機構應做好在院老年人群的防護措施。2020年1月底,國家民政部發出通知,要求各地全力做好養老機構新冠肺炎疫情防控工作,確保老年人安全健康。

根據國家衛生健康委在2020年1月29日發布的《新型冠狀病毒防控指南(第一版)》,養老機構防控疫情的主要措施包括日常預防措施,以及有老人出現可疑癥狀時的應對措施。疾病流行期間,建議養老機構實施封閉式管理,原則上不接待外來人員走訪慰問,老人不能離院外出,不再接受新入住老人,必須外出的老人回到養老機構后應密切觀察。此外,養老機構還應建立老人和工作人員的健康檔案,每日開展晨檢和健康登記;建立探訪人員登記制度,所有外來探訪人員應佩戴醫用外科口罩;倡導老人養成經常洗手的好習慣,確保環境清潔衛生。如有老人出現可疑癥狀時,及時為其安排單間進行自我隔離,由醫護人員對其健康狀況進行評估,視病情狀況送至醫療機構就診,并暫停探訪活動。