Nursing home visitation programs going well in Avoyelles

Nursing homes around the state were glad to see visitation guidelines relaxed during Phase 3 of the state's "Open Safely" program to address the COVID crisis.

Earlier this month, Jennifer Moseley of Marksville and her daughter Grace were able to have their first in-person visit with grandmother, Sadie Jeansonne, at Oak Haven Community Center in Effie.

Administrators were forced to go into planning mode quickly when the state changed from a virtually "no visits" policy to one that allows outdoors visits with anti-COVID protocols in place.
CommCare, the parent company for Riviere de Soleil, Bayou Vista and Oak Haven nursing homes, implemented its visitation shortly after the state gave the green light and has seen good results. The company owns 13 nursing homes around the state, some with more restrictions than others.

"The visitation policy isn't that clear-cut," CommCare Vice President Lisa Gardner said. "We are certainly looking forward to uniting our families and residents. That is a positive thing -- but we want to do it safely."

Gardner said the visitation policy is linked to the community's overall COVID-positive rate, but is also based on the individual facility's experience with the virus. Centers that have had no cases of COVID for two weeks or longer and are located in parishes with less than 10 percent positivity rate can have outdoor visitation programs.

Even in parishes where the state guidelines would allow indoor visitation, Gardner said Commcare does not recommend it under most circumstances. Outdoor visitations with the enclosed cubicles are the safest way for families to visit at this time.

"We will allow indoor visits in cases such as a resident who is unable to go outside due to severe allergies and other circumstances that would prohibit going outside," she noted.
Gardner said a case of COVID that occurs after the visitation program begins will not close the program. The infected person and those who came in contact with the resident would be quarantined for two weeks.

At CommCare's facilities, a cubicle or tent is set up outdoors. There is a a clear plastic sheet barrier between the resident and visitors. There can be no more than three visitors at a time. The visitation area is thoroughly decontaminated before the next visit.

"We have to schedule visits because of the limited area we have for visitation," Gardner noted.

Visitors must answer the routine screening questions, have their temperature taken, wear a mask, etc.

"We have to be diligent about following the rules so we can continue to have this visitation program," she noted.