Covid closing NHs to visitors again

Stuck in the middle

DS called this morning to tell me his RCF is closed to visitors again, and the residents are locked down.  He can't go anywhere, and we can't even sit in my car in the parking lot and drink coffee as we often do.  I'm not terribly surprised since the schools are closed and clinics are cancelling routine checkups, but I don't like it.  Some of the RCF residents are isolated in one wing because they have covid so this is probably locking the barn after the horse is out, but they are subject to health department regulation so it's one rule for the entire State.

Year Three  <sigh>

toolbeltexpert

I really hate that. We had a dear friend  from church who went in to a nh for rehab. Of course he was quarantined 2 weeks. We went to visit the day they closed. We had to talk to him outside his window which was filthy, I cleaned the window and got in trouble for taking the outside screen off,which was removable. I got a picture of him thru the window. Sadly he passed the next day, the family heard what I did and thanked me. They cherish the picture I took. It's so hard on the family when they do this. I hope your NH opens quickly and everyone is well.

Stuck in the middle

Thank you.

We went through this last winter.  He can call me, and does so several times a week, but it isn't the same.

M1

So sorry Stuck.  It's terrible here, test positivity rate at 42%.  No signs of ebbing here yet at all, quite the opposite.  Our neighbor mechanic and his wife are both sick and not answering texts, I'm very concerned.

I hope your telephone calls can help ease the stress on your son at least a little bit.  We have to have courage to keep our wits about us.

Unknown By Man

I do not know if this helps, but I do know some people have gotten around Covid NH restrictions here in my area but getting documentation that isolation causes extreme emotional distress, and thus we granted an exemption as long as they meet the same guidelines the staff have to meet. 

This is in NY, idk if it is worth a shot. 

Stuck in the middle

Thanks for the suggestion.  

He's really not isolated in his room; he's interacting with 50-60 other mentally disabled adults in common areas, eating in a cafeteria, going outside to smoke, etc.  The RCF is trying to keep the covid positive residents in one wing away from the rest, but that won't be very effective with the great transmissibility of the Omigawd variant of covid and the fact that the residents are accustomed to ambling about socializing.  Plus all are exposed to staff, who go home every night.  The lockdown is a waste IMO but the State makes rules and they apply to RCFs, SNFs et. al. equally.

It could be worse.  My late mother couldn't use a phone and would have been truly isolated under these circumstances.  I had to go out of town once during her six years in NH and she decided everyone must have died because no one had come to see her.

Stuck in the middle

Well, he got covid anyway, but only a mild case since he is in his 40s and fully vaccinated.  He is still locked down.  No one said rules had to make sense.

Unknown By Man

Glad it was a minor case, though yeah the rules are mostly for show it seems.