Skilled nursing facilities are being cautious after severe outbreaks earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, so even with new state directives, it is not easy for relatives to visit.
Elder advocates accuse the state of abdicating its responsibility to police nursing homes at a critical moment.The National Center for Assisted Living isn’t tracking each state’s rules or procedures but says more are allowing visitation or will soon. Many relatives say the prolonged isolation and lack of activities for residents, who are largely confined to their rooms, have contributed to a decline in their loved ones’ mental and physical health.
Signs with information on COVID-19 symptoms, social distancing rules and visitation policies are posted on the front door of Chaparral House in Berkeley. Larry Yabroff, 78, has been able to visit his wife, Mary, who has Alzheimer’s disease, under these conditions. She couldn’t grasp video chats and became agitated during window visits, he said. So he wears a mask, gets tested regularly for COVID-19 and largely stays home except for walks — and the handful of times he has gone to see his wife.
On Friday, he had his temperature taken at the front entrance to the facility before being escorted around the building to a garden out back. His wife was brought out in a wheelchair, and they sat on a bench and talked.“I enter into her reality, whatever it is, and that is calming for her,” he said. “She is definitely happy to see me, which is a blessing.”
Page said the facility wants to offer outdoor visits to more residents, but it won’t without approval from city health officials.Tim Carlson, compliance officer at the Los Angeles Jewish Home, said the facility is planning to hold outdoor visits once county health officials approve. It is also looking at ways to cope with the at-times sweltering Southern California heat, possibly by creating a tiny module with two compartments to allow for cooler — and separate — air.
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