UPDATE: Despite easing visitor restrictions at The Villa at Suffield Meadows on March 16, the assisted living facility had to pull back on allowing indoor visitations as of Wednesday, March 24.
Administrator for The Villa Sarah Pearson said Thursday that an employee reported a positive case the day before. Pearson said, "New guidance states that indoor visitation must cease until one weekly round of testing of residents and employees comes back negative. We are currently testing all residents and staff and we are hopeful next week, if all negative, we will resume indoor visitation. Outdoor visitation can continue."
The Fauquier Health Rehabilitation & Nursing Center is still allowing indoor visitations.
ORIGINAL STORY: As long-term care facility residents have been mostly vaccinated for COVID-19 and community spread diminishes, Fauquier Health is beginning to allow family members to spend time face to face with their loved ones at its senior care facilities, The Villa at Suffield Meadows and the Fauquier Health Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.
Marti Flinn hadn’t visited her father Jim Pride in his apartment at The Villa at Suffield Meadows for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But she drove up from Richmond and sat chatting with him in the comfort of his home for a while on Friday, before taking him out for some lunch. Flinn said she has spent time with her dad during the year, but only in an outdoor setting or when she took him to a doctor’s appointment. Pride, 90 years old, has been living at The Villa for six years.
The Villa resident Jim Pride visits with his daughter, Marti Flinn in his apartment for the first time in a year.
During the visit, he reminisced with his daughter about his farm just outside of Warrenton. He said he missed his cattle. “I miss having them to boss around,” he laughed.
Since March 15 when rules relaxed, visits in resident apartments have been back on the schedule; families can also spend time together in the foyer and in outdoor areas. Under the new relaxed rules, both the resident and visiting parties must continue to wear appropriate masks during all visits and if the resident and/or the visitor is not fully vaccinated, they need to maintain social distancing. Visitation is not permitted in common areas, during meals, or during activities.
Pearson said, “We arrange visits in the foyer so we can sort of supervise. If people haven’t been vaccinated, there’s still no hugging.”
About 99% of The Villa’s 49 residents have been fully vaccinated, Pearson said.
Villa visitors must call ahead to schedule a one-hour time slot for visitation and be screened once they arrive. Two visitors are permitted at one time. There has been a trickle of visitors so far, but Pearson expected it to pick up on weekends. “Everyone is very excited. It’s been a long year,” she said.
The Villa saw 13 people – a mix of staff members and residents -- test positive for COVID over the course of the pandemic and lost one resident to the disease. Pearson said the facility was under a quarantine order for 30 days at one point, during which communal dining was suspended and group activities were cancelled. The last positive case was in a staff member in late January.
“It’s been a daily struggle,” said Pearson.
She said her staff has helped residents with FaceTime visits, but it’s been difficult for many residents.
Residents played Bingo last Friday at The Villa at Suffield Meadows, with COVID precautions in place.
On Friday though, Bingo drew about 20 residents to the dining room. Tables for two had plexiglass down the middle and there were masks all around. But competition was fierce and there were minor celebrations when someone filled a card. It was almost normal.
Joan Sansone plays Bingo as Jill Miller, activities coordinator for The Villa calls the numbers.
Monday’s schedule featured a new drumming class. Only about five residents are permitted to attend at one time so there is enough room to spread out safely in the art studio.
The Villa also has a memory care unit, The Carriage House, that is currently caring for 10 residents. Pearson described one resident who has been non-verbal. “When her daughter came to visit, she smiled. The daughter was so happy to see her mother smile at her,” Pearson said.
Fauquier Health Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
At FHRNC, five or six staff members have tested positive for COVID, but they were spread out, so the cases did not meet the Virginia Department of Health’s definition of an outbreak. One resident tested positive in December, but showed no symptoms.
Director Katy Reeves said since the nursing home shut down to all but staff and residents on March 12, 2020, her staff has facilitated lots of video visits and has been able to manage window visits, but she has been worried about the toll the pandemic has taken on her residents’ mental health.
She said, “A while ago we did some face-to-face visits in our [indoor] pool area. It’s a big enough space with its own entrance and a ventilation system. But we had a positive case and had to shut it down.”
She said, “Our little facility has been a society unto itself. It’s been a very controlled environment. Our staff has been amazing. They come in every day and take care of our residents.”
The new visitor policy – which has been in place since March 16 -- is similar to the one at The Villa. Visits are scheduled for 20 minutes each, up to twice a week, but no visitors are permitted in resident rooms. “We have so many semi-private rooms,” explained Reeves.
Visits are permitted in the back dining room, which has its own entrance; in the main dining room; and in a covered outdoor area in the front of the building. Three visitors are allowed at one time; children may be included.
The only two FHRNC residents who are not vaccinated can receive visitors in the pool area and must be socially distanced.
Visits are being scheduled in the mornings and afternoons. “Weekend slots have filled up the most quickly,” said Reeves. “We have gotten emails and phone calls. People are so excited to come back in. It’s good for everybody’s mental health.”
The first day visitors were allowed, five family members visited their loved ones in the FHRNC pool area. “It was incredible,” said Reeves. “One woman who has dementia, when she saw her daughter come in, she threw up her arms and called her name. Another resident was so excited, she kept telling everyone, ‘My son is coming to visit.’”
Reeves said that one woman resident has been very withdrawn and hasn’t talked in months. “Her daughter came to visit. It was amazing. She talked up a storm!”
On March 16, a certified nursing assistant celebrated the loosening of restrictions by curling the hair of three residents who were expecting visitors. “The families noticed,” said Reeves.
She said it has been “very reassuring for families to see their loved ones in the flesh, to see that they are not in significant decline.”
The isolation has been difficult, but it has resulted in fewer cases of flu and colds.
Currently, the FHRNC staff is tested for COVID once a week; residents are only tested if a staff member reports a positive test or if they are symptomatic.
If Fauquier County’s positivity rate rises above 10% -- according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – staff testing would go to twice a week. Monday’s rate was 4.9%. “If we can stay below 5% until March 29, we can test staff only once a month,” said Reeves.
The nursing home director is very aware that it’s possible she’ll have to pull back on visitors again if COVID cases start to reappear. She said, “Masks will be with us for a while. We’ll take it day by day. Our families understand this is not over.”
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UPDATED: Visitors welcomed back into long-term care facilities - Fauquier Times
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