Families of nursing home residents in Broomall worry about COVID-19

BROOMALL, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- So many families are experiencing the shared struggle, of trying to keep tabs on their older loved ones who are isolated in nursing homes or other care facilities during COVID-19.

"There has to be a way to do this and not leave us out in Never never land. It's not good cause all you do is worry," said Fredericka DeFlaviis.

DeFlaviis is concerned about her 76-year-old husband, Nello.

Nello tested positive for COVID-19 while receiving care at Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after a massive stroke.

It's where DeFlaviis said Nello has received great care.

"He had wonderful care from his nurses and CNA's his speech therapists," said DeFlaviis.

But DeFlaviis worries are starting to pile up."We were not told the number of cases they have, how it even possibly got in there," said DeFlaviis. "We were told there was only one case and they went out, so we thought we were in the clear."

Action News has learned that Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing care facility has 298 residents. 88 of which have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17 have died. 26 staff members have tested positive.

On Saturday, the National Guard provided back up for a staffing shortage which has since been filled by the facility.

Employees are temperature screened every time they enter the building, and a strict "no visitors" policy has been in place for 5 weeks and counting.

The necessary ban on visits is one reason Fredericka DeFlaviis is asking for daily updates for every resident, since families can't see their loved ones.

"I haven't slept and I'm sure none of those family members are sleeping either," said DeFlaviis.

Her husband, Nello, is said to be stable with no fever and continually making strides in beating COVID-19.

The parent company of Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing Center released this statement:

"Our absolute top priority is the safety and care of our residents, and we are taking significant measures to prevent the spread of the infection, including:

• Providing appropriate PPE, taking heightened precautions and adhering to protocols outlined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
• Communicating with our local health department to prevent exposure and to protect all our residents and staff at the Center.
• Before every shift, we assess the health of our staff and screen all staff members for respiratory illness, which includes a temperature check.
• Restricting visitation at this time based on guidance from the CDC and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

We know that this is an unsettling and scary time for our residents and their family members. We understand and greatly appreciate family members' concern for their loved ones and are doing everything in our power to keep our residents safe and protected. We are in contact with the family members of the residents in our Center to keep them informed of their loved one's condition as it evolves and call every responsible parties to notify them once we confirm a COVID-positive case in our Center. We will continue to update family members in the coming days as new information becomes available or as circumstances change. We are working closely with the health authorities to follow their guidance and continue to be transparent with all information released to the authorities, family members and the wider public, while maintaining the dignity and privacy of each of our residents. We are providing frequent updates and guidance to Center teams so that they have the most current information, education and prevention protocols in place, including those from the Centers for Disease Control among other agencies."