10 Nursing Home

Visitation restrictions at nursing home causes many to no longer see their family members.

The coronavirus is having a major impact on nursing homes... many of the homes in our area are on lock down and have put restrictions on visitation..

This means some aren't able to physically see or interact with their loved ones anymore.... our quentin smith speaks with a columbus woman directly touched by this policy change..

He joins us in the studio with her story..

Scott..

Imagine being able to visit your loved one in a nursing home every day... then suddenly..

That changes... you're told you can't see them them because you're no longer allowed inside the facility... that's the harsh reality that many are now facing... and to make things worse... things are likely to remain this way for the foreseeable future..

Nat warm laughter and conversation over a facetime call.

This is the only way arleen weatherby can now see and interact with her mom.

" i'm so emotional about it right now i feel like i've let my mom down, because she depends on me to come, and when i'm not there, or when i haven't been there for a day or two, she'll say, where have you been.

I can only imagine now what she's feeling."

See, her mom is a patient at vineyard court nursing home.

When weatherby went for her daily visit last week, she found out she's no longer allowed to see her mom because of visitation restrictions surrounding covid- 19... information she's still having a hard time processing.

" oh this has been very hard.

I don't sleep at night because i'm constantly were wondering if my mom is ok" it's been five days since weatherby has seen her mom, and the uncertainty of not knowing when she'll be able to see her again just makes the situation worse.

"i miss my mom, and i know she misses me.

I think that depression and loneliness from me not coming every day or one of my family members not coming would kill her quicker than the coronavirus."

Weatherby is also worried that the visitation restrictions are preventing her mom from getting all the care she deserves.

"i got a phone call today from my mothers hospice and they were informing me that vineyard court told them from their corporate office i believe, that they could no longer come in there.

I have a problem because it's an rn and a cna who comes in to give her extra care that she needs, and vineyard court has yet to call me to say that the hospice is not coming."

Weatherby says she understands the extra measures nursing homes are taking during the coronavirus outbreak.

However, she believes their should be an exemption granting family members access to still check in on their loved ones.

" i think the ones who are the power of attorneys or the first person of contact should be allowed to come in maybe once or twice a week so that we can be reassured that our family member is doing fine."

On friday..

The federal government issued new guidance prohibiting all non-essential visits to nursing homes all across the country.... we reached out to vineyard court, the declined to give a comment.

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