Blog Post

Dear Families of Residents at The Cove and The Willows:

 

As you may have heard in the news, all nursing homes in Rhode Island have been mandated to open to limited visitation this week.

 

Our detailed plan for “reopening” has been submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control, and the R.I. Department of Health (DOH) awaiting approval. In the meantime, we are reaching out to families to begin the process of scheduling visits.

 

It’s important to note that visitation will not be the same as it once was, before COVID-19 changed the world. In order to keep our residents, staff and your family members safe from potential coronavirus exposure, we need to implement visits under a very strict set of rules.  Here is a run-down of what you need to know:

 

The resident’s Responsible Party will be the designated person who coordinates mandatory pre-screening documentation paperwork and submits a visitation list of their family members over the age of 18 

 

Appointment times will be determined by our scheduling team, based on the health status of the resident. Visits may be canceled by our team for any reason. Unannounced visits are not permitted.

 

Visits are limited to 2 persons per resident for 15 minutes at The Cove, and 1 visitor per resident for 20 minutes at The Willows

 

No physical contact is allowed and social distances will be enforced

 

No food, beverages, or gifts are allowed into the building

 

Visits will take place indoors in a designated common area

 

Visitors need to properly wear a face covering when approaching the premises and, once screening has taken place, will be provided with a surgical-grade face mask to wear during the visit. Staff members will sanitize visitors’ hands upon entrance and departure. 

 

All visits will be monitored by a staff member

 

Sitting and high-touch areas will be disinfected with a CDC-approved sanitizing agent and drying time will be observed before the next visit

 

To ensure fairness, every resident will have the opportunity for a visit with their loved ones before more appointments are scheduled

 

Virtual visitation will continue to be offered as staff time allows

 

You may wonder why we are not allowing for outdoor visitation. The reason is that weather variables are unpredictable, and many residents don’t tolerate the summer heat very well.

 

The staff at Grace Barker Health have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and protection of the beloved residents in our care. We are proud of our track record of keeping COVID-19 out of our buildings, and want to keep it that way. We ask for your understanding of and strict adherence to our new rules for visitation.

 

If you are not feeling well, have a compromised immune system, or have had any risk of coronavirus exposure (whether locally or from traveling to a high-risk area), you simply should not visit.  You would be putting everyone’s health at risk.

 

Sincerely,

The Lescault Family