Families of long-term care residents say that as the province reopens to unmasked gatherings, seniors isolated for over a year and still under restrictions have been forgotten. But B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix says change is coming as early as next week.
“Enhancing visitation in long-term care is a singular priority,” Dix said in a phone interview. “I would expect those changes in [mid-July].”
Health-care workers have been “going back and going back again,” he said, to make sure residents and staff are double-vaccinated because the risks of serious illness and death from COVID-19 are greater for seniors.
Jeanette Harper, whose mother Marguerite Bell, 90, is at Eden Gardens in Nanaimo, said most families are “pretty shocked” that when the province eased restrictions on July 1, there was no mention of lifting remaining limits on visits to long-term care and assisted-living facilities.
“We get that we want to keep them safe, but they’ve been double-vaccinated and at this point, most of the visitors that are going in have been double-vaccinated too,” said Harper.
“I’m very frustrated visiting in my mother’s private room that I need to still wear a mask. I want her to be able to see my smiling face every day.”
On July 1, the province entered step three of its four-step restart plan, with limits lifted on restaurants and pubs, sporting events and personal gatherings.
But there was silence on further easing of restrictions on social visitors in long-term care facilities.
Dix said long-term care homes are not on the same time frame.
After shutting down facilities in the spring 2020 to all but essential visitors, the province eased some of those restrictions on April 1.
Residents in long-term care and assisted living can now have two adults plus one child as social visitors at any one time, can meet in the resident’s room, can physically touch while the visitor is masked, can eat in a communal dining room, can partake in small group activities, and can go on outings.
New residents are no longer required to quarantine for 14 days.
Masks, however, continue to be mandated for all social visitors, the number of social visitors is limited, which means whole families can’t visit, and all visits must be scheduled. “It seems crazy when we’re going into a Costco and Home Depot and nobody’s wearing a mask, but me and my double-vaccinated mother have to wear one in a room alone,” said Harper.
“I’d love to be able to sit and have a cup of tea with her again, you know.”
Bell, who has Alzheimers, has deteriorated over the pandemic and in just months has gone from walking to using a wheelchair. Every day in a senior’s life is precious, said Harper, who also wants to see mandatory vaccinations for long-term care staff, or rapid testing for the virus prior to their shifts.
Nola Galloway, family council chairperson for Oyster Harbour seniors home in Ladysmith, said as part of her Families for Change — Stories from Long-Term Care group, she hears from families who are concerned that they still have to schedule visits — which effectively reduces the number of them — and that they have to be masked.
“The concern with families is why are they still being held back?” said Galloway. “Why can’t they just come, meet the greeter and go through the screening. They know what they need to do.”
Galloway also hears of disparities where some families have full access to social visits any time they want, while others must schedule visits two days prior to arrival.
B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie said inconsistent application of the rules is one of the biggest problems for families.
“The big impediment here is that you’re still required to schedule your visit, and that’s what’s giving the operators the control … before the pandemic, you’d just show up and sign in and there was no limit on how long you could be there,” said Mackenzie.
“It’s your inability to just show up, that’s what is allowing the operators to say, well your visit is, for example, Thursday at 2 p.m. for an hour.
“We’re going to have to move off of that.”
