Question: Since most kupuna and care home staff have been vaccinated, when will the families of residents be able to visit them in person again? Of course, all of us visitors have been vaccinated, and are willing to submit proof and take any screenings (i.e., temperatures, surveys, etc.), as requested by the care home operator. Our family member must feel imprisoned for nearly two years since these COVID-19 restrictions were imposed. While we are thankful our family member is safe and well-cared for, we would like to again visit with her privately and/or take her out for a meal or a ride for a change of scenery.
Answer: You should be able to do that now. You declined to identify the Oahu facility, so we were unable to find out whether its managers are aware the federal government relaxed restrictions on visitors last week, and, if they are aware, why they aren’t following the revised guidance. The update from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which took effect Friday, says “visitation is now allowed for all residents at all times,” without advance scheduling or limits on the frequency or length of visits; outings by residents also are allowed. You can read the guidance at 808ne.ws/cmsrev, and inform your loved one’s care home about it as well, if necessary.
Brooks Baehr, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said CMS guidance applies directly to federally certified skilled- nursing facilities, but that state-licensed care homes also should follow it:
“Residents at federally certified skilled-nursing facilities must be allowed to have visitors in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Every visit must occur in a manner that does not place other residents at risk. Unlike skilled- nursing facilities, state- licensed residential care homes are not Medicare-certified and are not bound by CMS guidelines. However, similar to skilled-nursing facilities, care homes are expected to allow residents to have visitors in a manner that does not impose on the rights of other residents.”
As for outings, the revised guidance says “facilities must permit residents to leave the facility as they choose. Should a resident choose to leave, the facility should remind the resident and any individual accompanying the resident to follow all recommended infection-prevention practices including wearing a face covering or mask, physical distancing and hand hygiene, and to encourage those around them to do the same.”
Upon the resident’s return, the nursing home should screen the resident for signs or symptoms of COVID-19, CMS says; it outlines subsequent steps depending on the outcome of the screening.
As you indicated in your question, nursing homes, care homes and other long-term care facilities restricted visitation and residents’ movements early in the pandemic to deter transmission of a disease that has taken a heavy toll on elderly, medically fragile patients. However, the residents’ isolation from their families also has taken a toll, with many kupuna and their loved ones eager to reunite in person.
Q: Regarding Safe Travels, if I’m just going to stay home when I get back from Vegas, do I even have to sign up? I’m not trying to get out of quarantine.
A: Yes, trans-Pacific domestic passengers arriving in Hawaii must create a Safe Travels account online and enter their trip details and contact information and answer the health questionnaire regardless of whether or not they are seeking an exception to Hawaii’s 10-day quarantine.
Q: Are they going to have online reservations for golf at Ala Wai?
A: Yes, the city says this service will be offered soon, although it has not announced a specific start date. Five other municipal golf courses already allow golfers with a valid Honolulu Golf ID Card to reserve a tee time online, seven days in advance, according to the city. Ala Wai Golf Course will soon join that group, it says.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
