Protecting the state’s most vulnerable population has been a critical priority in the statewide coronavirus response in Alabama. The Alabama Nursing Home Association (ANHA) today announced it would be resuming indoor visitation in nursing homes. This change came from new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and an amended state health order. Governor Kay Ivey extended the mask ordinance until November 8, 2020, but allowed for nursing home visitations to resume.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Alabama’s senior population (age 65 and up) has over 2,500 deaths due to Covid-19. Many of those patients also had underlying medical conditions. In a July Alabama Today article, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris emphasized that Alabama’s senior population was very vulnerable to Covid-19. “About three-quarters of all of [Alabama’s] deaths have occurred in our seniors, even though they’re only about 17% of our cases. If you do that math, that works out to seniors who are infected with this disease have about a 1-in-9 chance of not surviving. And that’s a tragedy,” Harris stated.
The most recent data on the Alabama Covid-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, 16.76% of Covid-19 cases, are people over the age of 65. 76.9% of residents over age 65 who have contracted Covid-19 have died. According to CMS data, there have been over 6,750 nursing home resident Covid-19 cases and 1,047 deaths in Alabama.
Brandon Farmer, President & CEO of the Alabama Nursing Home Association, stated, “It’s important for nursing home residents and their family members to be able to visit in person, and this is another step toward returning life to normal in nursing homes. We are pleased CMS is moving in this direction, and thankful Governor Kay Ivey and Dr. Scott Harris amended the state health order to accommodate this change,” he continued. “We are working closely with Governor Ivey’s administration and the Alabama Department of Public Health to help our members understand and implement these guidelines.”
“Resident safety is our top priority as we expand visitation, and the CMS guidelines will be closely followed. The public must continue to do its part to lower the spread of COVID-19. Decreasing community spread and consistent testing are key to our ability to offer indoor visits,” Farmer stated.
Visitors and nursing home staff will have to follow certain requirements for limited indoor visits. According to CMS guidance, “visitation can be conducted through different means based on a facility’s structure and residents’ needs, such as in resident rooms, dedicated visitation spaces, outdoors, and for circumstances beyond compassionate care situations.” While indoor visits are allowed now, CMS still prefers outdoor visitation. Below are some of the guidelines for visitors:
Do
- Do schedule an appointment to visit with your loved one.
- Do use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before, during, and after your visit.
- Do wear a mask covering your mouth and nose during your entire visit in the facility.
- Do maintain social distance of at least six feet from staff and residents.
- Do keep out of areas that are not designated for visitation.
Don’t
- Don’t remove your mask while in the facility.
- Don’t leave the designated visitation area.
- Don’t come to the facility without an appointment.
- Don’t come to the facility if you have any symptoms – coughing, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell – even if you attribute these symptoms to some other cause (allergies or cold).
