Reopening nursing homes is a tough call, but the right one
When it comes to misery, coronavirus has not been an equal-opportunity spreader. Few groups have suffered quite like the elderly and infirm.
The rest of us have been cut off from work, school, restaurants and sports. People in long-term care facilities have been cut off from love.
That’s not overstating it. It’s been five months since long-term facilities in Florida were locked down. Most residents didn’t even get to hug their families goodbye.
That will mercifully be ending soon. A state task force has sent recommendations to Gov. Ron DeSantis that will reopen long-term care facilities on a limited basis. DeSantis is expected to approve the new guidelines.
“This visitation is long overdue,” he said Wednesday. “We’ve got to get this done.”
It’s a risky move, but it’s the right one. Residents are highly susceptible to contracting COVID-19, but they are also uniquely vulnerable to the current remedy.
“We got a lot of people in our nursing homes and assisted living facilities who are suffering from significant depression,’’ said Mary Mayhew, the state’s Health Care Administration Secretary who headed the task force.
Reopening has distinct dangers. As of Thursday, 10,868 Florida residents had died of COVID-19. Almost 82% were 65 or older and 42% of victims lived in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities.
In Seminole County, 70% of COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care facilities. Those sobering numbers must be weighed against collateral damage that cannot be quantified.
Most residents have been restricted to their rooms. There’s been no socializing at the dining hall, no activities like bingo or Bible study.
Family members can come and visit them through glass doors or windows, but they are not allowed inside. Many residents cannot grasp why. They think they’ve been abandoned to die.
The confusion and isolation has led to plague of loneliness. Families have besieged policy-makers with stories of loved ones who are withering away.
A leading voice has been Mary Daniel from Jacksonville. Her husband, Steve, has Alzheimer’s disease and is in an assisted living facility.
After months of helplessly watching him deteriorate, she took a job as a dishwasher at the facility two nights a week. That allowed her access to her husband’s room.
“I opened the door and Steve just looked at me, wide-eyed. Then he said my name,” Daniel told the Washington Post. “We hugged for the longest time.”
Daniel was a member of the task force. It was supposed to finish its work Tuesday but held an extra session Wednesday to settle on a plan.
School boards, mayors, sports commissioners and countless other decision-makers can relate: When it comes to reopening, every option has a downside.
The difference is workers, students and sports fans must endure and adapt for now. There will be eventually a tomorrow.
If you’re in long-term care, there may not be.
“My husband has a terminal illness and he’s not coming out of there, but I’m losing the very best time with him,’’ Daniel told the Washington Post. “Today is his best day, he will decline tomorrow and the day after day, the day after and I’m missing the time right now that he knows me and that he knows my love and he can feel it.’’
The task force’s big sticking point was social distancing requirements. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees pushed for visitors to maintain a 6-foot buffer. Daniel pointed out that workers in the facilities aren’t required to keep that far away.
“It makes no sense that, as a dishwasher, I am allowed to touch and hug my husband,” she said, “but as a wife I can’t.”
The task force eventually compromised. One family member can be designated as an “essential caregiver.” They can assist loved ones with daily needs and provide emotional support. They must wear protective gear and undergo basic training in infection control.
“General visitors” will have to stay at least 6 feet away and be banned if the facility has had a new case of COVID in the preceding 14 days.
Facilities are not required to open under the new rules, though most are expected to. The nursing home industry is understandably leery of wrongful-death lawsuits and has been asking the state for immunity.
That thorny issue still needs to be dealt with. A more immediate concern is the panel’s decision to impose no testing requirements. That’s a mistake.
Like all reopening plans, this one is far from perfect. There will be undoubtedly be more COVID-19 cases. But waiting on a vaccine was not a viable option.
“The clock is ticking for so many families with precious time with their loved ones,” Mayhew said.
Those families need to reunite before time runs out.
Editorials are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board and are written by one of its members or a designee. The editorial board consists of Opinion Editor Mike Lafferty, Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio, Jay Reddick, David Whitley and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com.