Ep6 (part 2) - Lessons from a Pandemic: Longterm Eldercare During COVID-19, Ernesto Chan

The Pursuit of Health Podcast

On Part 2 of this episode, Dr. Fethke continues his dialogue with Ernesto Chan on the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on our nation’s elderly. Mr. Chan is a Director of Nursing at a Longterm Care facility in New Jersey. Mr. Chan shares his experiences and the broader implications they provide to all of us who may be caring for our vulnerable parents and grandparents.
The discussion picks up from the Summer of 2020, when there continued to be a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and continued stresses on his staff. These issues took their toll, and Mr. Chan had to grapple with the deaths of several elderly residents in his facility. As in during the HIV epidemic, off came the gloves once again so that Mr. Chan could reach out and touch those who would otherwise be alone in their final moments of life.
The discussion naturally led to the idea of a “Calling” to be a healthcare provider, especially in the most difficult times. Mr. Chan fondly remembers some of his residents who have passed away during the pandemic, and he urges us all to never forget our humanity.
Mr. Chan discusses the advent of the COVID-19 vaccine and his concerns about the effects of misinformation that led many to not receive the vaccine initially. He stresses that his experience and research indicates that the vaccine is safe.
Like many facilities in the nation, he also experienced the spread of the virus through his essential staff - including doctors and nurse practitioners - that often had to work in several different facilities and jobs just to make ends meet. The access to reliable testing ultimately curbed this phenomena and, with the vaccine, the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths has recently started to decrease. Finally, Mr. Chan is able to return back to his prime directive: to keep everyone in his facility safe.
Mr. Chan opens up about his concerns about how longterm care and assisted living facilities - both private and public - were designated as “extra beds” to unload the burden on the hospitals’ capacity to admit patients. As a clinician, he believes that this was a mistake which adversely effected the most vulnerable amongst us, and one that should not be repeated in the advent of future pandemics or environmental catastrophes.
This again returns to the main discovery of this episode; these facilities were not treated as an actual legitimate part of the healthcare system, though they were still expected to be providing medical care to their residents.
We finish the episode with an eerie foreshadowing of his experience back when Mr. Chan and his team had set up a mock emergency drill for a viral pandemic hitting his facility, back in February of 2019! He emphasizes that if it had not been for the lack of PPE, they would have been ready to avoid the poor outcomes they have sadly experienced.
He also advocates for letting the families into the facilities so that they can help share the care of their loved ones. He advises that families go to longterm care and assisted living facilities to choose the right place for their elderly parents. He urges us all to remain a proactive part of our loved ones’ lives while they reside there.
Throughout our discussion, Mr. Chan never gives up hope for the value of life at all stages.
You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).
**Research for this episode was conducted by Alyssa Shannon, a first-year medical student at Touro University.
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.
My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4