Some Nursing Home Residents to Reunite With Loved Ones

• by Christian Worstell
• September 21, 2020

Published September 21, 2020

Follow our Medicare Coronavirus News page for related information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on Medicare beneficiaries.

Some long-awaited good news is on the way for nursing home residents on Medicare. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued updated guidance about nursing home visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitation had been largely restricted for several months due to a number of nursing homes becoming virus hot spots and because of the increased vulnerability of senior citizens developing symptoms from the disease. 

“While we must remain steadfast in our fight to shield nursing home residents from this virus, it is becoming clear that prolonged isolation and separation from family is also taking a deadly toll on our aging loved ones.” - CMS Administrator Seema Verma¹

With increased availability of data to guide policy development, CMS has encouraged nursing homes to facilitate outdoor visitation to allow residents to visit with their loved ones in a way that reduces the risk of transmission of the coronavirus. 

Medicare approves indoor nursing home visits for the first time since pandemic began

Medicare announced nursing homes may also permit indoor visits if no new cases of COVID-19 have been reported at the facility in the last 14 days. Facilities may be subject to additional requirements for indoor visitation. 

The re-opening of nursing homes for indoor visitation prioritizes those residents experiencing “compassionate care,” which can include:

• End of life care
• Residents who are struggling with the change in environment and lack of physical family support after previously living with family members
• Residents who are grieving following the loss of a family member or friend
• Residents who are experiencing weight loss or dehydration and were previously being assisted by family members for eating and drinking
• Residents who are experiencing emotional distress, are seldom speaking and crying frequently

The extended separation of nursing home residents and their family members has taken a significant toll.

“We believe nursing homes should be able to resume visitations reuniting residents with their families within the recommendations outlined in our guidance,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.¹

In March, the CMS restricted nursing home visitation to only residents receiving compassionate care services. In May, the organization released reopening recommendations that outlined the various phases of safely reopening. 

Learn more about Medicare news and how the COVID-19 pandemic affects beneficiaries.

¹ CMS. (Sep. 17, 2020). CMS Announces New Guidance for Safe Visitation in Nursing Homes During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency [press release]. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-new-guidance-safe-visitation-nursing-homes-during-covid-19-public-health-emergency.

About the author

Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.

Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.

Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.

Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.

A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.

 

 

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