Families of nursing home residents are being urged to refrain from a common practice this time of year – taking their loved one home for a holiday celebration. That's not being allowed this year due to the worsening spread of COVID-19.
Pete Van Runkle speaks for nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the Ohio Health Care Association. He says that residents leaving could lead to infecting not just themselves, but also others at their nursing home.
“That’s really a good way to get exposed and then potentially expose everyone else in the building," Van Runkle says.
Van Runkle says the better thing to do is schedule a compassionate care visit inside the facility, although he admits that might not be possible if COVID is prevalent in the building.
Other safe options include phone calls, visual conferencing or visiting through a window from the outside.
