Nursing homes begin to allow visitors. What could a safe visit look like amid pandemic?
Visitors could soon be welcomed back to see loved ones at assisted living and other long-term care facilities across the U.S., but not without certain safeguards.
Since the COVID-19 crisis, visitation by close friends and family at these facilities has been halted for fears over the spread of the coronavirus, leaving seniors isolated and holed up in their rooms for much of the day.
Older Americans have been hard hit by the virus, with the elderly and medically-fragile at increased risk of falling ill and experiencing more severe symptoms. Deadly outbreaks have been reported at several nursing homes in the U.S., including the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve, which recorded 28 deaths due to the virus, McClatchy News previously reported.
According to AARP, around a third of all coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are nursing home residents or workers, making up about 38,000 deaths.
As of Friday, there were more than 1.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and 108,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
“We know the virus is incredibly deadly inside nursing homes, which is why nursing homes and senior care facilities are taking extraordinary steps to reduce risk of workers and visitors from bringing the virus in,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Thursday, according to CBS Denver.
The Centennial State and others across the U.S. are now releasing plans to allow limited visits to long-term care facilities. The eased restrictions will allow some residents to see their families face-to-face for the first time in months.
Here are the steps some states are taking to keep residents and their loved ones safe:
A ‘Lifeline Pass’ for visitors
On Thursday, Polis announced plans to grant Coloradans who wish to visit nursing home facilities a so-called “Lifeline Pass” amid concerns over the mental health of seniors who haven’t been allowed guests since the start of the pandemic, CBS Denver reported.
Specifics for the plan aren’t fully fleshed out, but the general rule is that outdoor visits will be permitted for family members who test negative for the coronavirus and “have no known exposure” to the highly infection disease, according to the news station. The “pass” would expire 48 hours after a negative test result is confirmed.
Outdoor visits — by appointment only
In Massachusetts, nursing homes also began allowing outdoor visits starting June 3.
New guidelines by state officials allow no more than two visitors per resident at a time, and all visits must be scheduled in advance, Boston.com reported. Visitors will also be subjected to temperature checks, and anyone with a fever “equal to or greater than 100.0” or who exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms won’t be allowed to visit the resident.
Social distancing is required and guests must wear masks or face coverings for the entirety of their visit, according to the guidelines.
Bobby Pace told CBS Boston it’s been two and a half months since he’s been able to see his mother at the Sea View Retreat in Rowley, about 30 miles outside Boston. She suffers from dementia and Pace said while there were no hugs or kisses allowed, he and his mom were still able to make a connection.
“I said ‘Hey Mom, it’s me, Bobby’ and she smiled,” Pace told the news station. “Once I started talking to her calling her name then she remembered and I kept saying, ‘I love you, I love you.’“
Local station WBUR notes that the guidance “does not currently apply to state-run nursing homes.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Nursing homes begin to allow visitors. What could a safe visit look like amid pandemic?."