Monday, July 20, 2020

California Governor Newsom forced nursing homes to accept contagious COVID-19 residents.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

A few weeks ago I wrote that An independent investigation into the order by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, requiring nursing home residents with COVID-19 be sent back to nursing homes possibly led to thousands of nursing home resident deaths.

Governor Newsom
Elder advocates are now asking why California Governor Gavin Newsom also made an order that requiring nursing home residents who were contagious with COVID-19 be sent back to nursing homes.

An article by Juliette Fairley published by the Southern California Record reports that Cindy Sheehan, the founder of Justice for COVID-19 Eldercide is urging the California Attorney General to investigate the order by Governor Newsom and the fact that at least 40% of California COVID-19 deaths were nursing home residents.

According to Fairley, Rep Steve Scalise wrote that the California Department of Public Health issued the guidance on March 30 requiring nursing homes to accept residents who were contagious with COVID-19.

Cindy Sheehan
Fairley reported that Sheehan is looking for answers.

“We would like to know why this policy was put into effect when staff were being furloughed from hospitals and why were regulations on visitors tightened up while standards were loosened and these are standards of care at some nursing homes that were already not that great,” said Sheehan who lives in Solano. “And why is the policy continuing?”
Policies forcing nursing homes to accept residents with a known contagious virus likely led to many more COVID-19 deaths. It should not be surprising that these policies led to a greater percentage of nursing home residents becoming sick with COVID-19 and then based on the fact that many of these people already had a compromised immune system, many elderly people died by COVID-19.
 

Independent investigations into these decisions need to be done, especially since the number of COVID-19 elder deaths is not only tragic but also a form of elder abuse.

5 comments:

Cecilia Von Dehn said...

This exposure to such a vulnerable population is certainly a deliberate and tragic elder abuse. Due to the lockdown family members, or their advocates, could not monitor what treatment, no treatment, or if routine care was carried out by staff. We have no idea if deaths were hastened by administering regular morphine overdoses as well as the questionable use of Divalproex. This drug has terrible side effects and states, "used in care homes". This is with intent to keep the seniors quiet and controlled but "zombie like", almost catatonic. They are often rendered so drowsy that unable to eat or drink safely. I would forsee a patient dying eventually from imposed starvation or choking on admisitered food, as unable to swallow. With Corvid-19 on top it would be easy to attribute death to the virus only . Where to begin to investigate such abuses, indignities, and deaths? Are the elderly so easily dismissed and deprived of safe care under cover of Covid or another pandemic?
Cecilia von Dehn. Ret. RN SCM Vancouver BC

Paul Gosselin said...

The INDIVIDUALS who implemented these policies to put covid-infected patients into nursing homes should be held criminally responsible... Wouldn't be at all surprised if this occurred in postmodern Quebec...

Are we better than the Nazis or just better hypocrites??

Corrina Conlan said...

This is horrible- this is what they did to my mother and I also worked in a senior home where they drugged the seniors to death.

informedchoices said...

These actions are beyond the concept of "abuse". They are a clear practice of ageism and likely ableism as well with the elderly being deemed less worthy of care and expendable. This is no less than discrimination and it is done knowing deaths would occur and others would be at great risk of infection and inadequate and inferior treatment. This is a decision equivalent to extermination. Those making the decision need to be made accountable for the deaths - criminal charges, not only apologies for something this horrible.

WJR said...

The question I have is why did this same person care more about criminals being released than the elderly. This is the truth, he simply does not care one bit about anyone but himself. He is a liar and deceiver and is headed for ruin if he doesn’t repent and turn to God.