Nursing homes start restrictions

Published 9:18 pm Thursday, March 12, 2020

Visitors being limited to protect residents and staff

 

Area nursing homes are implementing visitor restrictions to protect the health and safety of residents and staff as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country.

The following are the guidelines in place as of Thursday afternoon:

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Good Samaritan Society

Katie Davis, administrator of Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea, said visits at her facility are being limited to only those who need entry, including employees. She said staff are working with families who have critical needs on a case-by-case basis.

Visitors who are not end-of-life-visit related or medically or operationally necessary will not be permitted in the building, the organization’s website states. All individuals entering the building will be screened, and entry will be restricted for those with respiratory symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19. Approved visitors will be required to wash or sanitize their hands at entry.

The restrictions come from recommendations from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

“We are working closely with our local, state and federal officials to evaluate the COVID-19 emergency in our community,” Davis said. “We are actively monitoring and rigorously following our current infection control protocols.”

She said the virus has been shown to be more severe in the elderly, with the impact increasing

significantly for those older than 70 and 80 years old.

“So everyone at Good Sam is on high alert,” she said. “We are practicing all of the things we preach: good hand washing, routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces, making sure employees stay home if they are sick and regularly assessing residents’ symptoms of respiratory illness and fever.”

She said they’re also focusing on supply chain management, staff and logistics, as well as good hygiene practices and medication storage.

“The virus is the enemy here,” she said.

There is no timeframe on how long the restrictions will be in place.

She said Good Samaritan is part of Mayo Clinic Health System’s Senior Services program, which brings a medical director and nurse practitioners into the center for resident appointments.

 

Thorne Crest Senior Living Community

Jeff Hongslo, CEO of American Baptist Homes of the Midwest, the parent company for Thorne Crest Senior Living Community, said in addition to environmental controls in place regularly, Thorne Crest implemented a new visitor policy on Thursday as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People coming into the building will only be able to enter through the main entrance off of Garfield Avenue, and inside that door, visitors will have to answer a questionnaire, with questions including whether the person has been out of the country and whether he or she is sick, Hongslo said. Based on the answers, the person could be allowed in, but he said anyone who is sick will not be granted access.

“The health and safety of our residents and staff is the most important thing we’re dealing with,” he said. “We will continually be monitoring and making adjustments as we move forward.”

 

St. John’s Lutheran Community

Scot Spates, administrator of St. John’s Lutheran Community, said St. John’s implemented a policy Thursday limiting visitors to essential or urgent visits only.

He gave an example of this type of visit to include family members of someone who is critically ill or on hospice.

Letters were sent out to residents’ families on Thursday notifying them of the guidelines.

“We don’t want to have social visits right now,” Spates said. “It’s just too risky at this point.”

He said staff members must be feeling well, have no signs of respiratory infection, fever, cough or shortness of breath and not have been in known hotspots of the new virus inside or outside of the country or in contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19.

Spates said St. John’s is also canceling all of its programming for residents where people come in from the community, as well as resident outings.

“This is constantly evolving and changing,” he said. “We’re watching the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health to see what they’re recommending.”

 

Guidelines for Oak Park Place in Albert Lea were unable to be gathered as of press time.