Just got a weird call from in-laws skilled nursing facility. What could this mean?

Did you call back and ask to speak to the charge nurse?

I would file a complaint. What in the world are they accomplishing with their phone calls?

We have to notify you that something has happened, but we can't tell you what. WHAT?

Doesn't cover their responsibility to notify families of any incident, in my opinion they are creating concerns unnecessarily.

That makes absolutely no sense to call and just cause anxiety for family members of the residents.

I would be upset if I were you too. I would also find it strange.

I’m grateful that my LO’s MC is SO GOOD at contacting me, even as terrible as everything has been since the pandemic started.

I would consider your experience to be totally unacceptable. Do you have a sense of chain of command in respect to who’s really in charge of contacts? I’d start making calm but insistent calls until I got satisfaction.

I’d also be in touch with the board of health in the community. In my state Covid statistics are mandated as public record.

I think Kafka has taken over the running of the world.

Whatever else it is, this is... UNSPEAKABLY ridiculous.

We're required by law to inform families of (suitable generic term, say...) untoward incidents.

We're required by law not to breach confidentiality.

Policy is not to foment public unrest and alarm.

So the result is they call all of their residents' families and say, in effect "we know something you don't know!"

I would like a single individual in the entire world to stand up and say they think this is an acceptable outcome.

It's RIDICULOUS.

Write a formal complaint to B_ Healthcare.
If you have know of a public health authority covering the facility's locality, see if there's any guidance or information on their website or a public information line to call.
Are you able to speak to your in-laws, meanwhile?

It's weird that the caller gave her name. If she were calling to inform you of something of which she has no authority to share, not sure why she'd give her name. I'd follow up and call the facility to discuss. Even if it gets this person in trouble and is fired...she deserves it. Sorry, it was inappropriate for her to call you and leave a half-baked, worrisome message and offer no solution or recommendation on a pathway forward to help your in-laws. Who is the durable PoA for your in-laws? Are they mentally capable of acting in their own best interests?

I agree with you, that this is about as WEIRD as it gets. But I know you know that no one on Forum could guess at what happened. So today is your call to administration to find out from the only one who has the answer. I sure would love an update on THIS one.

To those speculating that it’s Covid.

I doubt if this is Covid related. If it is it is really strange. None of it makes sense.

It’s a mystery. That’s all anyone knows. Nothing was said. Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t even have a guess!

Ok so it Is covid. An employee has tested positive. All residents will be tested daily for two weeks. I don’t know why all the weirdness. Just come out and say it. Fortunately my mil will have no idea what’s happening - (Alzheimer’s ) she was always a big worrier. Father in law will just yell at the nurse each time he gets tested. Thanks for chiming in. I’m not going to cause an issue about it that’s not how I am.

Does anyone know if a resident in AL test positive for covid, if they are not showing symptoms do they remain in the MC in their room? Do the staff continue providing their care, feeding them, changing them? Would any Nursing home accept a person who is positive without symptoms?

Covid wasn’t handled in facilities in our area like this. Very strange.

A friend was hospitalized and while there contracted COVID son2 wks in the hospital. Then back to the NH where she was put in a room alone for 2 more weeks. Yes, she was taken care of in the room just isolated.

I thought I responded to this post. I did see the reply it was COVID. But I do feel it was handled wrong and may complain to the Health Dept.

The caller could have said that a staff member contracted the virus and that person has been sent home and precautions have been taken. HIPPA just won't allow the person's name to be mentioned. In our County a daily report goes out. How many new cases. If its male, female, or juvenile. If over 18, it will say in their 20s, 30s, 90s, and what Township they are from.

Did you ask them what the secrecy was all about? It doesn’t make any sense at all. There are transparent reports daily on Covid cases in facilities. The phone call is what was so weird.

Lea, Covid cases didn’t seem to be secretive in the facility by you. It’s not secretive by us either. It’s news that is required to be reported. Names don’t have to be mentioned to report it.

Rosie, failed to disclose specifically what's happening, which means HIPAA is involved, most likely. Along that thinking, maybe Rosie the employee learned that another employee is infected with Covid19.

Covid19 mandatory reporting and testing parameters recently changed, Newer federal rules and regs require nursing homes to inform residents, their families and representatives of COVID-19 cases in their facilities.

BUT that vaguely didn't happen, maybe check your emai for clarification? Skilled Nursing Facilities are reporting numbers to the CDC and their states.

There's nothing in HIPPA that prevents the nursing home from disclosing someone has Covid. They just can't say who. My mother's place had seven staff members come up positive all at once, then 10 residents ended up with it eventually. That was the extent of the identifying details, but we received weekly updates while there were still active cases. I seem to recall only the death of one resident was ever mentioned, although I think the final total was 3-5, depending on what they thought was the actual cause.

When my MIL's facility had staff test positive (the first people inside the facility to get it) the administrator called us personally to tell us and to let us know what they were doing about it. It was pandemonium in there for a while as they dealt with the daily scramble (and this was in May so even less was known about the virus). Eventually they had the bandwidth to send out detailed emails. HIPAA didn't seem to have anything to do with this situation. We're the medical PoA for my MIL. MIL didn't have covid, a staff member did so as long as they're not disclosing the name of the staff member, HIPAA wouldn't seem to be operative in this situation. Your MILs facility handled it poorly, plain and simple. FYI 9 residents at my MIL's facility passed from covid. No AL residents ever got it, just LTC and MC.

Well...she failed in her requirement. I couldn't begin to guess, after all I've read here, but I can't wait to find out!

Covid19, the new Scarlet Letter. Can't wait to see what the politicians come up with next.

Are you sure this isn't some kind of crank call, perhaps from someone who knows you have family there and has managed to disguise her phone number as the facility's number? (Offhand I can't recall the term for that, but scammers do it.) Another possibility is that it's either someone from the facility calling "off the record" and perhaps Rosie isn't her real name. A third is that it's actually a resident (or a family member of a resident) who wants to give you a "heads up" so you investigate further.

WTH? "Something happened here and we can't stay what?" So what is the purpose of the call? So are you supposed to go down there and find out? I hope some will go and find out what happened.

Scam

And maybe it has nothing to do with Covid. Maybe you could speak with the Social Services Dept at the facility.

I think I would have to go down there, or call and talk to someone in a higher position. Find out who runs that place.

Call the facility or visit the administration to get the full story. It could be a scam or something that requires your action. You won't know until you get the full story.

Call and speak to someone in charge to see what's going on. It was a strange call.

THank God I never put my mom in a nursing home...the caller sounds like an idiot because next of kin or healthcare surrogate has a right to know.

Sounds weird for sure.  I would call back and ask to speak with the head nurse or person in charge at facility to find out what happened.  IF they claim they have to call "all" families, then it sounds like either someone spit on someone or something like that.  I am surprised that they didn't ask you to come in to be discussed privately, but it sounds like something was transmitted to everyone by someone or something.  Wishing you luck.

State law requires notification of an incident. I’ve received multiple calls like, “Your mother fell, but she is fine.” The secrecy makes me think it has to do with HIPAA. Sounds like she has the state law requiring she call you but the federal law requiring she not reveal a patient’s medical information.

Doesn't sound legitimate to me. "can't say what" and "required to inform all families"? inform them of WHAT?. Could be a crank call. Or maybe the caller misunderstood the instructions given her (I'm guessing the former) In any case, just call the facility and ask. Don't panic. If it was a legitimately urgent situation you'd be getting better information than that... and from someone with more authority than "Rosie".

Call the health department.
Call the County re (potential) elder abuse and ask them out to deal with it.
Call the administrator.
Write a letter to the County (of Marin) and cc the nursing facility administrator (put her on notice).
This is unacceptable - why are they calling you if they are not saying anything? They are creating a RED FLAG.