OLD folks’ homes have seen a slight increase in demand in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic with families seeking better care for the elderly, said operators of these centres.

They told The Malaysian Insight that – while they had faced delays in payments from families affected by the economic slowdown – they had generally continued caring for their elderly residents, who are more prone to Covid-19 infection.

The homes have also embraced the necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure senior citizens under their care are given a safe living environment.

In some places, they had to turn away new patients due to lack of space.

Genesis Care Centre’s Dr Lyndon Thomas said there was a slight slowdown in the interest for services at the onset of the pandemic, but it had now steadily grown.

“We are a new operation, only close to two years in the industry.

“Right now, it’s better than what it was five months ago,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said families started checking in their elderly relatives at nursing homes when Covid-19 first hit and people had to work from home.

“At the peak of the anxiety surrounding Covid-19, the sentiment was it was the best to be home where they are not exposed to the virus.”

He also said his centre had faced delayed payments in recent months due to people’s inability to pay on time.

“We had to delay collections slightly but as our services are based on relationships, we are able to manage. Those who have deferred are less than 10% (of our customers).”

He said they can accommodate up to 72 patients and the occupancy rate was at 85% currently.

“The demand has also slightly increased for homes that have better services to deal with the pandemic.

“We did receive calls for new admissions, mostly from those looking for similar services with better facilities,” he said.

The centre, located in Klang, currently charges between RM2,500 and RM5,000 a month, depending on the room size and nursing care requirements.

Wecare2u nursing home operations manager, who wanted to be known as Lee, said they were forced to reject new patients in recent months.

“We can only accommodate 16 patients at a time, so we did not accept many people during the movement control order (MCO).

“There are long-term and short-term boarders. Some have come and gone, but the turnover is not high. Mostly, two or three patients a month,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

However, Lee admitted they have had requests from families to delay payments due to economic hardship caused by the pandemic and the MCO.

“Some asked for late payments, about 20% of the 16, and we obliged. So, there are no issues as we are still able to operate,” she said.

She added that residential fees started from RM2,600 a month per patient.

“The fee varies and can be higher depending on the patient’s needs. Some might need a private room or extra care.

“So, (prices) for boarding are negotiable.”

The nursing home is in Petaling Jaya and has been open since 2015.

Ministry of Health data reveals there are 17 nursing homes registered under the Welfare Department, while 357 private nursing homes are also registered with the government.

The ministry said there were more than 1,000 unregistered private nursing homes nationwide.

Guardian nursing home operations manager Vani Jeyaraman said it too had to keep the number of patients to 18 despite getting requests from new patients.

“During the first few months since the pandemic, we received a lot of enquiries, but our capacity here is for only 18 patients.

“So, we took in three patients as some had gone back home,” she said, adding that the home had received about 30 enquiries since March.

“We had to refer most of them to other care facilities because we were full here.”

She added that during the pandemic the home had also received calls from hospitals asking it to take on discharged patients whose families did not want to take them back home.

“Some guardians or families want to send their elderly for extra care. Stroke patients need more care.

“However, we are very selective, we ensure they are virus-free and take in only those who are recommended by the hospitals.”

Vani said for extra precautions they also quarantine these patients for 14 days.

“As all the residents are at least 60 years old and are in the high-risk group, we have to be careful,” she said.

The Guardian home was set up more than two years ago in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

Vani said so far no one has deferred on their monthly fees.

“We charge RM200 a day, but for monthly the range can differ as it will depend on the care given and the facilities provided.

“So far, there have been no enquiries for discounts.” – September 29, 2020.