Family reacts to updated nursing home visitation guidelines
COLUMBIA (WOLO): More families in South Carolina can begin visiting their loved ones in nursing homes after Governor Mcmaster relaxed visitation guidelines last week.
Now, any facility that meets the following standards must allow in-person, indoor visitation:
• a less than or equal to 10 percent positivity rate in the county in which the facility is located, using DHEC’s data, and
• no COVID-19 cases among staff and/or residents in the past 14 days, and
• maintained CMS’ core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention
The announcement comes as a new AARP report ranks South Carolina 5th in the nation for COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Still loved ones are excited to be together after months of isolation.
“I’m going Wednesday, and now it’s open so I’ll be able to visit her actually in her room instead of outside,” said Columbia resident, Betty Cramer.
It’s been months since Cramer last saw her sister Kathy at her local nursing home.
“She was not doing well up until the last couple weeks ago, she’s been much brighter. She was more confused, wasn’t even trying to get out of bed, and now she is,” said Cramer.
Cramer says she knows even brighter days are ahead, as restrictions begin to lift. But a new AARP report shows COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina nursing homes have doubled in the 8 weeks ending February 14th.
“I don’t know if our nursing homes have more residents with chronic illness, if they’re more frail. Our data does not reflect why we keep hanging out at those high levels of death rates in nursing homes due to COVID-19, but it is alarming,” Associate State Director for Advocacy, AARP South Carolina, Nikki Hutchison said.
After months of isolation, Cramer says she lost her mother at a New York nursing facility in September after she was diagnosed with ‘failure to thrive.’ So for families like Cramer’s, getting the chance to visit loved ones is worth the risk.
“I know how important that is for people, especially the elderly. I think the risk has to be looked at of course, we can’t be careless, but we can’t have these people in isolation. We just can’t,” Cramer said.
AARP agrees.
“We want visitation. We just don’t want to compromise others in that process. We have to do it smart, based on data. So let’s hope that more nursing homes can open up, can use the vaccine to opening up their visitation and getting loved ones in to see the residents,” said Hutchison.
DHEC says 100 percent (193 out of 193) of the state’s nursing homes have had their first COVID-19 vaccination clinic completed and 86 percent (166 of 193) have had their second clinic completed, with additional clinics scheduled. A total of 98 percent (485 of 495) of the state’s community residential care facilities have had their first vaccination clinic completed and 86 percent (424 of 495) have had their second clinic completed, with additional clinics scheduled.
