Florida vacccination shuts out Alzheimers caretakers and patietns.

Crushed

Florida has instituted a vaccination regime that effectively excludes Alzheimer's patients and care takers who cannot drive to vaccination sites and wait in many hours long lines behind healthy 65 year olds.  

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/30/us/florida-coronavirus-vaccine-line/index.html

Florida's county-by-county plan to vaccinate its elderly population has created a mass scramble for a limited number of doses, leading to hourslong lines at vaccination sites and overwhelmed county hotlines and websites.In southwest Florida, the Lee County Department of Health encouraged anyone 65 and older and high-risk frontline health care workers to come to one of seven vaccination sites. Each site had just 300 vaccine doses, and "no appointment is necessary," the county said.  The first-come, first-serve plan led to huge lines forming overnight Tuesday as people camped out on lawn chairs and waited for hours.

Wealthy people with cars and the ability to drive can go anywhere in the states

All vaccine Florida sites are open to anyone in the priority groups regardless of state or county residency.

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Crushed

Victoria2020 wrote:

Crushed wrote:

Florida has instituted a vaccination regime that effectively excludes Alzheimer's patients and care takers who cannot drive to vaccination sites and wait in many hours long lines behind healthy 65 year olds.  

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 Seems they have more than one system, duh, ALF  visits started 12/18. And here is the link to set up residents for in facility visits  in 100 people batches from CVS. Sorry the truth isn't anti-government enough for you.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/12/21/cvs-walgreens-get-to-work-delivering-covid-19-vaccines-at-long-term-care-facilities-in-florida/

 

https://info.omnicare.com/rs/095-VIX-581/images/COVID 19 Vaccine Clinic Multi-Patient Registration and Billing Guide.pdf

https://www.fala.org/covid19-emergency-management.html

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/12/13/as-coronavirus-vaccines-head-to-florida-long-term-care-facilities-finalize-their-rollout-plans/

Facilitites are different from patients in the community .   they have professionals negotiating for the patients. 
and facilites are still being short changed no matter what you post about Florida government claims

Florida’s COVID-19 vaccination program was supposed to give top priority to residents in long-term care facilities, but critics say the process has been marred by confusion, delays and a lack of information — even as healthy 65-year-olds are able to get vaccines through county health departments.

“This is an unacceptable situation to all of us,” Steve Kramer, president and CEO of The Mayflower at Winter Park, wrote in a Dec. 29 letter to residents. “We have independent-living residents, some in compromised health, that have no idea when, or if, they will be getting vaccinated. And our skilled nursing and assisted living residents will not receive the vaccine for at least another week and a half.” 

 

Perhaps you did not  notice where your cite says

December 29, 2020
FALA has heard from news outlets that the Governor’s office has stated that the ALF program has been activated and federal partners (CVS and Walgreens) may begin scheduling ALFs this week.

Good luck with that meaning anything while the healthy scarf up the vaccine

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-coronavirus-vaccine-florida-nursing-homes-assisted-living-chaos-20210101-m7jngweo3vdw3ch4px6yimkawq-story.html

  

Crushed

“All these people who are not in any kind of institution are getting vaccinations if they are willing to drive to the Orange County Convention Center or the Oviedo Mall, and, meanwhile, how does that affect people who are in institutions who can’t use a computer or, if they can, they can’t navigate this [appointment website,] and they may not be in any kind of condition to be driven to the convention center and wait three hours with no toilets [available]?” she said. “Imagine an incontinent old person sitting there for three hours.”

Bruce Scott told CNN he arrived at a Ft. Myers vaccination site at 1:30 a.m. and waited in a line for about 8 or 9 hours to get vaccinated.

"Although I'm grateful to get the vaccine, I feel that there's got to be a better way to distribute this," he said afterward. "For people that really need it, elderly that might be disabled in some way, they can't endure this process, so there's got to be a better way to manage this."

 

mage: Vaccination line in Florida (Andrew West / The News-Press/USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters)

 

Crushed

June45 wrote:

My county in Florida is doing quite well, thank-you.  Yesterday I got the regular "alert" text from our county giving the parameters of those who qualify (of which my husband & I do) and they provided a link to make an appointment for the vaccine. Quick and easy.  But I don't get my news from CNN; good thing I don't.

what county are you in ?  Extra doses have been sent to some politically powerful areas e.g. the Villages

Additionally, as some people cared for by our local medical practices have medical conditions of such severity that they may not be able to participate in a mass vaccination event, I have advised The Villages Health that it would be medically reasonable to offer vaccination to people in these most vulnerable circumstances now.

 http://sumter.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/COVID-19Vaccination.html

And "alert texts" are well known as a way to keep the poor from participating.

aod326

I probably should leave well alone here, but I'm going to say it anyway. Regardless of political persuasions or different views - on anything - aren't we all dealing with more than enough already, as caregivers, without getting into contentious discussions? 

It has been so helpful to me to come to these boards where there is so much support and so little judgement. Let's not put things out there that raise hackles, and let's not be critical of each other; we're all adults, with our own perspectives, dealing with a crappy hand that's been dealt to us. 

Happy New Year everyone.

Rescue mom

The effect of something on my husband as a dementia patient tends to interest me. We live in a FL county with those lines, which means he and many others can’t get the vaccine, even though it’s supposedly here for seniors. Call me weird, but the vaccine  seems kind of important these days. But we have long overnight lines, no restrooms or water, no shelter, no chairs, etc (unless you bring). My DH and others with dementia, or mobility, or other health issues, can not go through all that. Others worry about security, there’s none visible that I and others who’ve visited these sites, or news, can find.

Some counties seem to do it differently,  but exactly who decides remains a mystery. I just can’t figure out why or how anyone thought this first-come first served, for elderly would be a good thing to do.

Facility residents will have the vaccine delivered to them, but the facilities did not know when (at least as of Jan. 30).

It absolutely does affect me and DH, and many many more couples I know IRL who have dementia or mobility or other health problems so they cannot camp out with no facilities. It’s just so stupid as to be mind-boggling. Nor do our doctors know anything about when/if they will have it.

If it’s not a problem for *you*, consider yourself very fortunate. It’s a big problem for many, who must deal with this yet-another problem. If we don’t do better at getting the vaccine out, we’ll never get ahead and that will be a problem for many more.

I talked to a couple of newly retired docs who said area medical societies have volunteered to help with the shots, so more people could move through faster. No response. No refusal, or explanation, just....nothing.

But as always, it seems, dementia patients and caregivers are not given much consideration. I guess by the numbers we are a relatively small group. But still.

Crushed

Oh please my point is not "free phones"   What good is a phone alert to get in your nonexistent car and drive to get a vaccination an hour away?   

  Its like a phone alert to the third class on Titanic to get ready to drown since there are not enough lifeboats

Phone alerts have to be connected to a working system to generate the desired result. Poor people tend not to have the resources to use the alert

Donr

I live in Miami Lakes and my doctors are at Cleveland Clinic. As the vaccine becomes available you call to make an appointment . There are several other hospitals doing this.

Crushed

Donr wrote:

I live in Miami Lakes and my doctors are at Cleveland Clinic. As the vaccine becomes available you call to make an appointment . There are several other hospitals doing this.

I note the "my doctors".  Why should people with connection to doctors at entities  receiving vaccine doses have priority?  E.G.  How do you Know that the vaccine is available and to make a call?  I am not saying anything about your individual case.  You and your wife are reasonable candidates under any allocation system.   But Florida is prioritizing healthy people with pre-existing connections in the health care system.  

It is difficult to imagine a more ineffective way of using the early vaccines to actually save lives. 

I am a healthy 69 year old.  I have no obligations, my spouse is in memory care , a good car, Comfy lawn chairs, blankets two cellphones two Ipads  and first class connections to the health care system. 

 In Florida people just like me shove their way right to the front of the line.  

that is the problem

anneleigh

I live in Orange County, Fl and tried to sign DH for the vacine.  No such luck as no appointments are available at this time.  Guess he will be on wait list for awhile.  I really do not want to wait several hours like the ones who first got the doses.  I pray it will get organized soon.

Donr

Crushed wrote:

Donr wrote:

I live in Miami Lakes and my doctors are at Cleveland Clinic. As the vaccine becomes available you call to make an appointment . There are several other hospitals doing this.

I note the "my doctors".  Why should people with connection to doctors at entities  receiving vaccine doses have priority?  E.G.  How do you Know that the vaccine is available and to make a call?  I am not saying anything about your individual case.  You and your wife are reasonable candidates under any allocation system.   But Florida is prioritizing healthy people with pre-existing connections in the health care system.  

It is difficult to imagine a more ineffective way of using the early vaccines to actually save lives. 

I am a healthy 69 year old.  I have no obligations, my spouse is in memory care , a good car, Comfy lawn chairs, blankets two cellphones two Ipads  and first class connections to the health care system. 

 In Florida people just like me shove their way right to the front of the line.  

that is the problem

Statements like yours are ignored by me.

Ed1937

aod326 wrote:

I probably should leave well alone here, but I'm going to say it anyway. Regardless of political persuasions or different views - on anything - aren't we all dealing with more than enough already, as caregivers, without getting into contentious discussions? 

It has been so helpful to me to come to these boards where there is so much support and so little judgement. Let's not put things out there that raise hackles, and let's not be critical of each other; we're all adults, with our own perspectives, dealing with a crappy hand that's been dealt to us. 

 

Happy New Year everyone.

I absolutely agree with that thinking. But this kind of stuff has been going on long before you became a member. Some time ago, I started a new group so people could join to discuss and fight about politics without disrupting the main board. There were few people willing to take it off the main board, so I guess we're stuck with it. Happy New Year to you.

Ci2Ci

"Funny" story:

I made an appointment at a CVS to get Covid booster for my PWD and me. When we entered the store, my PWD said she just wanted to browse. So, I kept her in sight as I stood in line at the pharmacy to check in. Within minutes, I was approached by a police officer. My mother had informed a CVS worker that she had been kidnapped.

Having experienced this before, I said to the police: "Okay, take me to jail. Then, maybe I can get a night's sleep." He said that he'd go talk with her. So, great, someone else to watch her while I get my vaccine. In 15 months, that was my only moment of respite.

At least 2 other patrons in line came up to me sympathizing, saying they'd been through this themselves.

Ed1937

Funny, but sad. At least you didn't wind up in jail.

ThisLife

This is an old thread.

Jo C.

THIS IS A VERY OLD, OLD THREAD FROM 2021; NO LONGER PERTINENT TO TODAY. PLEASE LET THIS DROP OFF THE BOARD.