When Will Arizona Families Be Able To Visit Loved Ones In Long-Term Care?

Published: Thursday, June 4, 2020 - 10:13am
Updated: Thursday, June 4, 2020 - 2:31pm

More than two months have passed since Arizona’s long-term care facilities went into lock down due to the coronavirus. At the same time, many of the COVID-19 deaths have occurred in those same facilities. But it could be some time before families can hold their loved one’s hand again.

"And, you know, my concern if I had a loved one in a facility is how were they taking care of them?"

That's Dana Marie Kennedy, state director for AARP Arizona, is worried that a lot of families are being left in the dark.

AARP surveyed families across the country about what they’re getting in terms of information.

"And the majority of family members that filled out our survey six over 6000 across the country, many in Arizona," she said. "And when we go into detail reporting, they are not hearing from the facilities as far as information. If COVID-19 is in a facility, they're just not doing a good job communicating."

David Voepel is the CEO of the Arizona Health Care Association, which represents skilled nursing facilities and some assisted living facilities. 

"And if you're not getting any, any type of communication back, that's just that's not right," he said. "Because you're right. People have been locked down for way too long and family members haven't been able to see families."

Gov. Doug Ducey had ordered that all facilities provide an electronic visual form of communication if visitation is restricted, such as FaceTime or Skype. But the reality is, those calls cannot replace in-person visits. They simply cannot illustrate the scope of what's happening in a nursing home.

While there are no plans to reopen immediately, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid had issued recommendations so facilities can plan: they include no new cases for 28 days; having adequate personal protective equipment; and the facility cannot be experiencing staffing shortages. 

But those last two recommendations — adequate personal protective equipment and sufficient staff — could be challenging for some facilities. Most long-term care facilities struggled with staffing shortages even before the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus certainly did not help, with caregivers quitting because they did not want to risk getting sick or, possibly infecting someone in their own family. Voepel says personal protective equipment continues to be an issue among some assisted living facilities. 

Of course, every facility is different, which is why Voepel and his organization are asking Gov.  Ducey and Dr. Cara Christ, the head of the Arizona Department of Health Services, to allow skilled nursing and assisted living facilities to have some autonomy when it comes to deciding when to reopen.

For example, Voepel says if a nursing home in a small town has had no cases of COVID, limited visitations should be allowed if the facility has the personal protective equipment and staff.

KJZZ asked both the Governor's Office and the Department of Health Services what plans are being put in place to allow families back into facilities. They have yet to reply.

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