Residents and patients in nursing homes have spent the last year unable to see loved ones in-person due to COVID-19.
The virus has left nursing home residents with a sense of fear and isolation, but that's all about to change thanks to vaccination efforts.
”We got new guidelines on visitor regulations just yesterday. We’re hoping that, well we know, that this is going to help bring our families back together,” said Dr. Diedra Wuenschel, Coryell Health Medical Director for RehabLiving.
The new guidelines allow for in-person visits if the resident and visitor are both fully vaccinated, to ensure that everyone is safe.
”If they’re fully vaccinated, which means if they have had the Pfizer or Moderna and they’ve had both vaccines, and they’re at least 2 weeks out from the last vaccines," said Dr. Wuenschel.
Nursing home resident Janel Ziegler says she couldn’t be more excited to hug her loved ones after very long year.
”It’s been difficult because we all miss the closeness of family, and so I think this will be good for us, both mentally and physically,” she said.
Ziegler says she is happy to see family, but that is not who she wants to see first.
”One of the first people I am looking forward to seeing is my hairdresser. I haven't had a haircut in over a year, and I am really looking forward to that," she said.
There is one thing Ziegler wants to say to her friends a family.
”Yeah, tell them to call me, we’ll make plans,” she said.
Nursing home officials hope to have everything in place to begin in-person visits by the end of the week or early next week.
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