Life is Getting Closer to Normal at Nursing Homes
Like all assisted living faculties and nursing home centers across the country, Fayette County’s had a multitude of rules and regulations to follow during COVID but as of last week, many of them have lessened the visitation rules and regulations.
Schulenburg’s College Place Assisted Living, located at 210 College St., has stated there is no longer a requirement for visitors to have a negative COVID test nor do you need proof of getting a vaccine to visit. Also, it is no longer necessary to be considered a “designated visitor” to visit. College Place would like to keep the visitation number to five people or less at a time and the resident may choose to have close personal contact with his or her visitors. Indoor visitation must take place in the resident’s room and outdoor visitation may take place on the front porch. Residents can also now go out of the faculty for a visit or even an overnight visit. They will not be kept isolated when they return but they will be screened for COVID symptoms more frequently for 14 days.
As of now College Place’s visitation days and times are Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10-11 am, 3-4 p.m., and 6-7 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays: 9-11 a.m., 2-4 p.m., and 6-8 p.m. You will still be screened at the front door and required to wear a mask as well as the resident.
College Place’s activity director said, “The residents are so happy now to see their family and friends more. They have been very cooperative with the COVID regulations and I’ve just kept them occupied.”
Flatonia’s Oak Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation, located at 624 N. Converse St., has also made changes to its visitation. They are now asking visitors to make a reservation between 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to see the resident in their room. Each visit can be around one and half hours long. If the resident does have a roommate then the resident and visitor must meet in another area within the facility. If the resident is in hospice care then different rules do apply. You will still be screened and must follow CDC guidelines.
“It has been very hard for the residents,” said Bill Diehl, Oak Manor’s director of nursing. “I could see their attitudes change, the depression set in early and we couldn’t really explain to them why they weren’t getting visitors anymore so sadly many of them thought their friends and family just left them. We were doing things like Zoom and everything we could think of to make sure they knew that wasn’t the case.”
Care Inn of La Grange, located at 457 N. Main St., said they are no longer limiting the number of designated essential caregivers to two and free rapid COVID-19 tests will be provided by the facility to visitors. Each visitor will still be screened, must wear a mask, and follow social distancing rules.
Care Inn also states that they have recently become an authorized provider of the COVID-19 vaccines for their residents and staff, which many have already received. They are expecting their first inventory of vaccines soon and hope to be able to maintain a supply on hand to be available for new admissions and staff.
Monument Hill Nursing Center, located at 120 State Loop 92, has set up new visitation rules depending on what type of caregiver you are either an essential caregiver or a non-essential caregiver. If you are an essential caregiver then visitation can begin upon patient admission with no waiting period and visitation is between 7 am-7 pm, seven days a week. The resident is allowed to have two essential caregivers. A negative COVID test is also no longer required.
For non-essential caregivers visitation will be available to residents who have been in the center for greater than 14 days, after COVID within the last 90 days, or two weeks fully vaccinated. Visitation hours are still 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Six-foot social distancing requirements must still be followed and the visitor cannot have any physical contact with the resident unless the resident has been fully vaccinated.
Both types of caregivers will still be screened and face masks must be worn.
There is no better time than spring, the season of hope and new beginnings, to finally get a chance to fully visit your friends and family who stay in an assisted living faculty or nursing home center. However, please continue to call each faculty or nursing home center as COVID rules and regulations continue to change.