Björn Bernhardhardt cannot conceal his anger “because they did not have time to care for my mother”, who died in an elderly home in Stockholm, where the new Corona virus killed more than a third of the population.
This seventieth man believes that the death of his mother, who is more than 100 years old, was due to negligence, indicating that workers in the elderly house lack protection equipment, expressing his conviction that this led to the spread of the virus in the building, although the results of his mother's examination of the virus came negative . Sweden, which imposed less stringent measures than most European countries to contain the outbreak, admitted that it had failed to protect its elderly when it officially crossed the threshold of 3,000 deaths from the emerging coronavirus, about half of which occurred in homes for the elderly. In recent weeks, local media have talked about working conditions in nursing homes that suffer from a lack of protection methods, to the point that some preferred not to work, and some homes suffered a shortage of employees. Testimonies showed that some of the elderly became infected while entering the hospital to receive other treatments, and then returned to the home, where they transferred the virus without their knowledge.
However, the government asserts that its priority is to protect people over the age of 70. As of the end of last month, 90% of the country's virus victims had been aged at least 70 years. "We have failed to protect the elderly (...)," Swedish Health Minister Lina Hallingren said in a statement to state television. It is a failure of the whole society. We must learn from him, we have not finished this epidemic yet. ”
"Without protection"
Despite the health crisis, Sweden has kept its schools, cafes and restaurants open. I am satisfied with urging people to act responsibly and adhere to official recommendations, without exceptional closing procedures. Rallies were banned for more than 50 people. It has also prevented visits to homes for the elderly since the end of March, but it recorded the highest number of deaths there. Unlike Finland or Norway, the homes for the elderly in Sweden are often huge compounds of hundreds of inmates, most of whom are ill and unable to depend on themselves.
They thus constitute a "very vulnerable group," according to Henrik Lisle, of the Health and Welfare Council. Berninger, on the other hand, notes a lack of equipment in these institutions during times of crisis. He said: «There was no protection. "The workers were moving from one department to another and spread the virus."
Resident case
(Abdullah), who preferred to remain anonymous and worked as an assistant at a nursing home for two years in the outskirts of Stockholm, pointed to a resident condition that was treated in the hospital for a broken leg. He said that the test result before she left the house was negative, but «when she returned from the hospital three days later, she was positive. We wore protective aprons, but we did not put up masks when we dealt with them. ” The man has refused to return to work since then.
Swedish Health Minister: "We have failed to protect the elderly ... It is a failure of the whole society."