Policy & Procedure: Resident Visitation

Purpose:

To ensure resident’s rights are honored by allowing visitation with the least restrictive means to ensure compliance with established infection control practices as well as both state and federal regulations.

Policy:

The center will make every effort to facilitate resident visitation in a safe and organized fashion that will be overseen by the Administrator or Designee.

Procedure:

1. The facility will allow visitation for residents as permitted under current regulations and/or the direction of local and state Departments of Health.
2. The facility will offer visitor education such as (but not limited to): signage, visual alerts, handouts, etc. on topics such as hand hygiene, cough etiquette, COVID-19 vaccinations, etc.
3. The facility will not place a time limit on visits during normal visiting hours or on the number of visitors a resident has unless, there are concerns with space availability, maintaining infection control practices, or any other scenario deemed appropriate by the Administrator.
4. The facility will allow in-person visitation in all the following circumstances, unless the resident objects:
a. End of life situations.
b. A resident who was living with family before being admitted to the facility and is struggling with the change in environment and lack of in-person family support.
c. A resident who is making one or more major medical decisions.
d. A resident who is experiencing emotional distress or grieving the loss of a friend or family member who recently died.
e. A resident who needs cueing or encouragement to eat or drink which was previously provided by a family member or caregiver.
f. A resident who used to talk and interact with others is seldom speaking.
5. Visits should be conducted in a manner that adheres to the core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention and does not increase risk to other residents.
a. Wearing a proper fitting appropriate mask.
b. Performing Hand Hygiene.
c. Using cough etiquette.
d. Physical distancing.
e. Avoid touching your face.
6. During visitation, facilities will encourage visitors to limit movement throughout the facility when possible.
7. The resident will be allowed to have consensual physical contact with visitors as they choose.
8. Visitors should wear face coverings or masks when around other residents or healthcare personnel.
9. Residents who are on transmission-based precautions (TBP) or quarantine can still receive visitors. In these cases, visits should occur in the resident’s room and the resident should wear a well-fitting facemask (if tolerated).
10. Before visiting residents, who are on TBP or quarantine, visitors should be made aware of the potential risk of visiting and precautions necessary in order to visit the resident.
11. While it is safer for visitors not to enter the facility during an outbreak investigation, visitors will still be allowed in the facility. Visitors should be made aware of the potential risk of visiting during an outbreak investigation and adhere to the core principles of infection prevention.
12. If residents or their representative would like to have a visit during an outbreak investigation, they should wear face coverings or masks during visits, regardless of vaccination status, and visits should ideally occur in the resident’s room.

Essential Caregiver Visits

The resident has the option to designate a visitor who is a family member, friend, guardian, or other individual as an essential caregiver.
1. The facility will allow in-person visitation by the essential caregiver for at least 2 hours daily in addition to any other authorized visitation.
2. The essential caregiver is not required to provide necessary care to the resident.

Visitor Testing and Vaccination

CMS strongly encourages visitors to become vaccinated. Visitor testing and vaccination is encouraged but visitors are not required to be tested or vaccinated (or show proof of such) as a condition of visitation.