Response to a chat room thread this morning

Actually, I believe all of us are convinced that the government doesn't know more about this than we do, neither do the trade associations.  Both groups "talk" about caring for older adults in nursing homes and assisted livings.  Both groups "tell" nursing homes and assisted living facilities to "take care of the residents."  That is something called "plausible deniability."  Politicians, government officials and nursing home and assisted living ownership are very good at this.  How many Federal, State, or Local government officials have actually allowed AMDA members "in the room" to advise them on what actions to take during this pandemic?  Very few, is the answer.  Why? Arrogance, ignorance, ego, and money.  It's really that simple, or that complex, depending upon how one wants to look at it.  We're at a point now where we have no choice but to keep speaking the truth to power and use all means possible to share our expertise.  Lest, another wave runs through the facilities where we care for the most vulnerable members of our society.  It's not enough to complain that there isn't PPE or testing.  It's not enough to complain that there aren't enough resources.  We must remind everyone on a daily basis that the efforts being taken aren't sufficient to protect the residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.  The fact that there is even one nursing home in the country (and we know that there are a lot more than that) who have countermanded the orders of our clinicians to test residents, is one too many. What are we going to do?  Instead of leaving this response with a question, I'll pose an answer.  We keep fighting tooth and nail to have our voices heard at all levels of government.  We engage families to support our efforts.  We are the experts in geriatrics and long term care medicine.