As many areas of the United States anticipate a coming surge in COVID-19 cases, three-fourths of respondents to a new McKnight’s Senior Living editorial survey report shortages of personal protective equipment in their independent living, assisted living, memory care or continuing care retirement communities.

Additionally, 64% of survey participants said their communities are using homemade or improvised PPE or are reusing equipment.

Masks, gowns, gloves and shoe covers are just some of the infection control products that are considered PPE.

McKnight’s Senior Living conducted the survey April 1 to 3 via email; 336 usable responses from administrators, owners, operators, health and wellness leaders, frontline caregivers and others working in senior living were received.

“We are using homemade masks, as we are allotted one box of 50 masks a month. I have 53 employees,” one participant said.

Another respondent cited adequate PPE and hand sanitizer “for now,” but said, “We would like resources for the future, since our vendors may not be able to meet the need.”

“We need gowns, masks and sanitizer within two weeks,” another participant said.

In addition to needing PPE, some communities need guidance on how to store and reuse it, one respondent said. “I hear facilities are storing masks in brown paper bags and others putting them in Ziploc bags. What is the safest way? Where do you keep them?”

77% report no cases yet

Seventy-seven percent of survey-takers said that no cases or presumed cases of COVID-19 had been detected among residents or workers in their communities, but 65% of participants said their communities currently are equipped to care for residents or patients who have the disease.

One respondent even works in a building that has prepared a separate wing with negative air flow for people who test positive for the disease. Another respondent who works in a building getting ready to accept older adults with COVID-19, however, anticipated that some staff members will call off when the sick residents are admitted.

McKnight’s Senior Living will be reporting additional results from the survey in future articles.