CMS Alert for Holidays and Nursing Home Residents
This Alert was just put out by CMS regarding taking residents out for the Holidays. Although it is a resident’s right to leave, CMS is discouraging the residents leaving the facility on the holidays. due to our current high spread of COVID. If the resident is leaving the facility for the holiday,and the leave is more than a same day leave and return, please check bed hold days left.
We discourage families from taking residents out to home gatherings. If you decide to take your family member out, please follow the guidelines CMS has provided in this alert. If a facility has covid, we strongly recommend residents not leaving as they may have been exposed. (good to wait 14 days with no new cases).
There is guidance from CMS on safety practices when the resident returns. Our organization believes there is some over use of quarantining residents. We feel they should only be quarantined if they have been exposed to someone having covid or displaying symptoms as the public follows. We have many reports that all are being quarantined if there is one case in the facility and visiting ceases. Most times when a case is reported, the person having covid is no longer in the facility. This leaves it unclear why all residents are quarantined and visits cease.