My dad has had a rash for the past 3-4 weeks. His left wrist was swelling and warm to the touch. He was put on keflex in case of suspected cellulitis. At the end of the medication he developed a rash on his right side and the NH diagnosed it as a heat rash. They started putting a steroid cream on it. His left wrist again felt warm to the touch and puffy so the Dr diagnosed him with gout. He was put on Indocin. The rash continued and after I kept insisting something wasn't right, hospice nurse was called. The team diagnosed it as possible scabies, put him in isolation and began treatment. I am now concerned that maybe the nursing home isn't doing as good a job as I thought and wondering if I should attempt either moving him to another facility or even bringing him home. He has Parkinson's and is wheelchair and bed bound. Anyone else dealt with this?
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Good news: it is very easy to treat and eradicate. If this rash is indeed scabies, you will soon be able to put the whole ghastly episode behind you, with no harm done.
Bad news: what you describe doesn't sound like any case of scabies I've ever heard of (I did quite a lot of reading back when this was of deeply personal interest to me). However, assuming the team went about their diagnosis methodically, I'm sure they know best.
Thinking on from that. I wouldn't be put off the facility by a case of scabies. Like head lice, this condition is highly contagious and it is no reflection on the facility if one worker tracks it in and it gets around. Happens.
But I think I might be put off by this rather erratic approach to a hot and swollen left wrist. Who exactly is doing the diagnosing? More to the point, what investigations have been done? In your position I think I would want to be eyeball to eyeball with whoever is supposed to be the attending physician for the NH, rather than the NH staff themselves.
Also, if you take your Dad home, then you will need to take special precautions such as ISOLATION PROCEDURES while taking care of your Dad until the scabies are gone.
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/treatment.html website: “In addition to the infested person, treatment also is recommended for household members…particularly those who have had prolonged direct skin-to-skin contact with the infested person…All persons should be treated at the same time to prevent reinfestation. Bedding, clothing, and towels used by infested persons or their household, sexual, and close contacts (as defined above) anytime during the three days before treatment should be decontaminated by washing in hot water and drying in a hot dryer, by dry-cleaning, or by sealing in a plastic bag for at least 72 hours. Scabies mites generally do not survive more than 2 to 3 days away from human skin.”
Copy and Paste website onto your browser:
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/fact_sheet.html
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html
Do YOU really want to expose YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS to SCABIES?? Just how many friends do you think will want to visit your Dad once they know that he has scabies and that you brought him HOME instead of having him stay in a facility for treatment? Even in the best nursing homes, residents have the possibility of contracting a disease or illness from other people--a family member, a visitor, another resident, a staff member, or who knows???
Now is NOT the time to move your Dad!!! Now is the time to allow your Dad to get treated and to get better. The nursing home should have contacted the local PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY and told them about the scabies so that they can determine the source of the scabies and prevent the spread of the scabies.
Also, I would not be too harsh on the nursing home if the scabies is the only problem that you have with the facility….Unfortunately, scabies happens.