People Who Live in a Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility
Caretakers: If your loved one is not able to ask questions or otherwise communicate with facility staff, please help them take the actions recommended on this page.
Many cases of COVID-19 in the United States have occurred among older adults living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.
Actions to take
- Carefully follow your facility’s instructions for infection prevention.
- Notify staff right away if you feel sick.
- Ask your caretakers about the actions that are being taken at your nursing home or long-term care facility to protect you and your loved ones, including if and how they are limiting visitors.
Symptoms
Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild symptoms to severe illness, sometimes resulting in death. Symptoms may appear 2–14 days after exposure.
In some cases, older adults and people of any age with underlying health conditions may have symptoms that are not typically seen in others, or they may take longer than others to develop fever and other symptoms.
Fever symptoms
In older adults, normal body temperature can be lower than in younger adults. For this reason, fever temperatures can also be lower in older adults.
If you are an older adult experiencing fever or other symptoms and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first. You can also visit your state or localexternal icon health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.
If you are caring for a patient aged 65 or older, be aware that a single reading higher than 100°F (37.8°C), multiple readings above 99°F (37.2°C), or a rise in temperature greater than 2°F (1.1°C) above the patient’s normal (baseline) temperature may be a sign of infection.
Why you might be at increased risk
The communal nature of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and the population served (generally older adults often with underlying medical conditions), put those living in nursing homes at increased risk of infection and severe illness from COVID-19.
If you are a healthcare provider
If you are a healthcare provider in a nursing home or long-term care facility, make sure to take additional precautions for yourself and the older adults in your care. Viral testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is an important addition to other infection prevention and control practices.
Learn more about CDC’s guidance for nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
- MMWR-Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Among Residents and Staff Members of an Independent and Assisted Living Community for Older Adults — Seattle, Washington, 2020
- MMWR-Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility — King County, Washington, March 2020
- MMWR-Universal and Serial Laboratory Testing for SARS-CoV-2 at a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility for Veterans — Los Angeles, California, 2020