Every day more and more people in Texas are receiving one of the approved COVID vaccines. Hopefully you are among them, and you probably personally know people who have been vaccinated.
While we are not out of the woods yet, the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraged by recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) efforts to enable visitation, reuniting residents with their families and reducing the harmful impact social isolation has had on these individuals.
This return to in-person visits for Texas families who have been shut out from loved ones during the current pandemic is significant.
As more families move toward this important milestone event, the Alzheimer’s Association recommends families and long-term care settings remain diligent in following proven COVID-19 safety protocols.
The Alzheimer’s Association supports these important CMS guidelines:
- Ensuring facilities, residents, and families adhere to the core principles of COVID-19 infection control, including maintaining physical distancing and conducting visits outdoors whenever possible. This continues to be the safest way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly if either party has not been fully vaccinated.
- If residents are fully vaccinated, the new CMS guidelines do allow for close contact, including touch. In these situations, visitors must still wear a well-fitted mask while also physically distancing themselves from other residents and staff in the facility.
- Adhering to CMS guidance that limits or restricts visitation, including:
- Unvaccinated residents if; 1) the COVID-19 county positivity rate is greater than 10% and 2) less than 70% of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated;
- Residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions; or
- Residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.
There are always risks with in-person visits, but as long-term care communities begin to allow visitors and more of the country is vaccinated, the steps outlined above will help to mitigate risk and reunite families safely. Meanwhile, you can always get the latest information about the Association’s COVID-19 emergency preparedness guidelines for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers in long-term or community-based care settings here
The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.
Scott Finley is Media Relations Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association® in Texas. He can be reached at scfinley@alz.org