LUMBERTON – At least three local long-term institutions have opened their doors so that residents can receive visitors, ending a year or the separation imposed by the pandemic of family and friends.
The Wesley Pines retirement community began allowing residents to mingle with visitors in dining rooms on March 10, said Amy Shooter, director of sales and marketing for the retirement community. Visits to the rooms were resumed on March 15.
Outdoor visits are still preferred, said Shooter.
However, after months without physical contact with family members, some residents can now receive hugs.
“The CMS (Medicare and Medicaid Service Centers) still recommends all measures to prevent infection, but if a resident has been vaccinated, they can receive hugs,” said Shooter in a statement.
Still, all parties involved in the visits must remain masked and perform proper hand hygiene, she said.
“If we have an outbreak and it is contained, we can still have visitors. If the outbreak is in a unit, that unit will suspend visitation, ”said Shooter.
Shooter said that 100% of assisted living unit residents are vaccinated and about 85% of health care providers.
“We encourage vaccination, but it is not a condition of visitation,” she said. “The vaccination status will only affect the visitation of residents if the rate of positivity in our municipality increases. If the positivity rate is greater than 10%, then our unvaccinated residents will not be able to have internal visits based on current regulations. “
The WoodHaven Nursing, Alzheimer’s and Rehabilitation Center continues to follow the visitation policies it established earlier this month.
“Visitation by CMS, CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), DHHS (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services) and public health guidelines are being followed at the WoodHaven Nursing, Alzheimer’s and Rehabilitation Center of UNC Health Southeastern “Suzanne Jackson, Director of Population Health at UNC Health Southeastern.
“At the beginning of March 1st, modified visitation for long-term care began. The recommendations were and continue to be examined to include temperature checks, outdoor visitation with a mask and social distance. The guidelines have been updated to include internal visitation by appointment with screening and temperature checks, allowing two visitors per resident during each visit, ”she said in a statement.
Internal visits to WoodHaven began about two weeks ago, Jackson said.
Appointments for visits are “week by week, as public health data, including any outbreaks or positive cases, must be reported and treated”.
“Continuous visitation will continue to follow the recommended guidelines until facilities are open to the public or updated guidelines are received,” she said.
Greenbrier, an assisted living facility in Fairmont, welcomes visitors on a limited basis and by appointment only for outdoor visits, according to its management agency, DePaul.
“Greenbrier is pleased to welcome you back for a limited visit from your loved one,” says a statement on the DePaul website.
Visitors must be 18 years of age or older, according to the guidelines posted on their website. Each resident can receive up to two visitors for a period of 20 minutes, observing the social distance and wearing a mask. Visits are limited to designated areas supervised by team members. Before entering visiting areas, visitors must answer health questionnaires and take their temperatures.
Visiting hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm and Sundays from 2 pm to 5 pm
To schedule a visit for an Assisted Living resident, click https://calendly.com/greenbrieral/front-porch or for Memory Care, click https://calendly.com/greenbriermc/memory-care-porch.
Morning Star Assisted Living in Pembroke has yet to welcome visitors to its campus, said Karen Hunt, owner and administrator.
She is consulting with the state and county social services department before making a decision, said Hunt. But it hopes to reopen to visitors in April. She also said that all 30 residents received both injections of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are looking forward to it,” she said. “We want to open up so that they can come back and start visiting.”
Hunt said he wants to open doors safely and protect the health and well-being of residents. It also anticipates the moral impulse for residents when they can visit family members and loved ones in person again.
When visits resume, she plans to do a quick test of COVID-19 for all visitors entering the facility. Social detachment measures will also be in place, among other safety precautions for visitors, Hunt said.
The NCDHHS updated its guidelines on March 12 to allow personal, internal and external visitation due to the “rapid improvement trends” related to COVID-19 cases in facilities such as nursing homes.
“Although external visitation is best when possible, internal visitation is now allowed for all residents, regardless of the vaccination status, except in some circumstances where visitation should be limited due to the high risk of transmission of COVID-19 in one specific installation. It is recommended that non-vaccinated residents who wish to be vaccinated do not start internal visits until they have been fully vaccinated, ”says a statement from the NCDHHS in part.
“In addition, new long-term care residents will not be required to be quarantined if they are fully vaccinated and have not had close contact with someone with COVID-19 in the previous 14 days. Health care providers who are fully vaccinated and not immunocompromised with high-risk exposures that are asymptomatic also do not need to be prevented from working, ”continues the statement.
“This action shows that our vaccination efforts are already having benefits,” said NCDHHS secretary Dr. Mandy K. Cohen.
“I am grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to protect our most vulnerable residents and I am very grateful that families and loved ones can be brought together physically,” she added.
On March 4, the NCDHHS reported that COVID-19 cases “dropped more than 15 times in qualified health centers, adult homes and other licensed facilities” and that most facilities met safety guidelines for resuming visits internal. Medicare-qualified and certified nursing facilities had to meet CMS and CDC criteria.