The National Board of Health and Welfare: Death rates in elderly housing are not much higher than in the flu season

- If we now say that we have not succeeded in protecting our elderly in elderly homes then it is almost every year in that case, says Thomas Lindén, head of the knowledge management department for health and medical services at the National Board of Health and Welfare.

In special housing, this year, just over 11,000 people have died during the period January to April. During the same period in 2019, almost 10,000 people died, according to Thomas Lindén.

- Although it is difficult and every person who dies is grief and tragedy, you also get to see the big perspective. There are more this year but it's still in the same order of magnitude, he says.

He also points out that most elderly residents do not have any covids infected at all and that there are municipalities that do not have a single infected on special housing.

- It can also be said that of 100 people over 70 living in special housing, two died of covid-19. But it is painted that it is in principle a death sentence to have one's elderly at a retirement home.

There have been criticisms from several quarters that covid-centered elderly care homes are not relocated to hospitals and receive more advanced care or intensive care and therefore die unnecessarily. Earlier this week, Yngve Gustafson, professor of geriatrics at Umeå University, told TT that the palliative care provided to elderly residents is similar to euthanasia.

- Instead of giving them a chance to survive, many times they have only been given palliative care. It almost certainly takes the life of them already after a few days, which can be likened to active euthanasia, Yngve Gustavsson told TT then.

But Thomas Lindén is addressing the fact that the palliative, that is, only symptom-relieving, care given to covid-centered elderly care homes would be euthanasia.

- Of the 90,000 people who die in Sweden each year, we estimate that there may be 70,000 people who sometimes need palliative care, ie care that is only symptom-relieving. It has recently been stated in discussions that palliative care is the same as euthanasia. But it is very often actually the best treatment option for people at the last stage of life, says Thomas Lindén.