Helen Beede

Through the Glass Helen Beede

Nursing home companies have made millions while portraying themselves as heroes during the pandemic. The staff and residents in these facilities live a different reality. This is their far less glamorous story:

What began with a few nursing home residents testing positive for COVID-19 quickly progressed to others in the facility developing symptoms with dozens dying and many others left with long-term damage. There were several opportunities for management to intervene and minimize the spread. Instead, the virus was allowed to spread unchecked among residents and staff.

Almost as disturbing as the illness itself is the skill with which management was able to convince the majority of the staff and public that their response was exemplary given the circumstances. The decisions made behind closed doors rarely put the wellbeing of the residents first.

Lack of accountability has been a longstanding problem in for-profit nursing homes. While the residents suffer and families are left in the dark, the nursing home industry is lobbying for less liability and less regulation. The employees of this industry are overworked, understaffed and forced to choose between providing patient care, protecting themselves and defending the actions of their corporations. Without more oversight, these companies will continue to get rich by taking advantage of those who are uninformed or left with no other options.