Pennsylvania long term care facilities will begin allowing “compassionate care” visits, which marks a loosening of strict visitation restrictions in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are intended to enable family members or loved ones to help provide care for long term care residents whose health is worsening.
They will be allowed for residents who have experienced two or more “documented changes” in their health, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday.
Compassionate care visitors will have to show proof of having tested negative for COVID-19 within the past week and be screened at the facility.
“We’ve heard from many stakeholders and families how the pandemic has affected the emotional and mental health of the residents of nursing homes, which in turn has a significant impact on their physical health,” Levine said.
Levine said compassionate care caregivers can have “a very important role in improving a resident’s mental, emotional, and physical health.”
Diane Menio of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly said allowing compassionate care visitors is a step in the right direction.
“It’s something we’ve been pushing for, that family members should be considered essential caregivers and treated similarly to staff,” she said.
Menio noted the new policy also allows in-person visits by long term care ombudsmen, which are important advocates for residents. They previously had to visit remotely, which limited their effectiveness, she said.
Pennsylvania long term care facilities — nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes — have been largely locked down to visitors since around the beginning of March.
The state recently began allowing limited visitation at facilities that have gone several weeks with no one testing positive for COVID-19.
The compassionate care visits are separate from those, and can take place at facilities that haven’t yet qualified to have regular visitors, Levine said.
Advocates for long care residents have said the absence of visitors can have devastating consequences, causing downtowns and their physical and mental health, including their desire to continue living.
Menio said “we’re not quite there yet” regarding overall visitation and reducing the harms of isolation; she called the overall plan to re-open to regular visitors “not terribly aggressive.”
People who want to provide compassionate care visits must make arrangements with the facility in advance.
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