Pandemic Causing Families to Shun Nursing Homes

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) says Covid-19 is spurring families to shun nursing homes, which they say could be a long-lasting market shift. Reportedly, relatives are turning to home care due to fears of infection and additional isolation. The WSJ says that occupancy in U.S. nursing homes is down 15% (195k+ residents) since the end of 2019. Indeed…

Americans have long relied on institutions to care for the frailest seniors. The U.S. has the largest number of nursing-home residents in the world. But families and some doctors have been reluctant to send patients to such facilities, fearing infection and isolation in places ravaged by Covid-19, which has caused more than 115,000 deaths linked to U.S. long-term-care institutions.