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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
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Recent News & Resources:
* New Fact Sheet: Nursing Home Visitation and Quarantine: FAQs & Advocacy Strategies for Families
* Listen to a discussion about how to use CMS guidance to open nursing home doors.
* Tell us about your visitation experience in a long-term care facility by taking our surveys for residents and their family members and friends.
The resources below will help you advocate for yourself or your loved one in a long-term care facility:
Part of being a good advocate is taking care of yourself, read our fact sheets for tips on how family caregivers and residents can take care of themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Resource Archive
Holiday Visits and COVID-19 (12/1/2020)
The Resident Advocate Newsletter (October 2020)
The Resident Advocate Newsletter (April 2020)
Summary of CMS Waivers for Nursing Homes (April 2020)
COVID-19 and Nursing Homes: What Residents and Families Need to Know (March 2020)
Recommendations for Protecting Residents and Staff of Long-Term Care Facilities (March 2020)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance (3/10/2021) around visitation for nursing homes. The new guidance allows indoor and outdoor visits for all residents, except in limited circumstances. Visitation is allowed regardless of vaccination status of residents or visitors, though vaccination is encouraged.
Vaccinated residents can now have close contact with visitors, including hugs.
Limitations on visitation may occur:
Learn more about what this visitation guidance means.
CDC Guidance on Quarantine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their guidance (3/29/21) regarding infection prevention and control to prevent COVID-19 spread in nursing homes. It includes important information about when nursing home residents are required to quarantine. Whether a resident should be quarantined depends on factors such as vaccination status, exposure to someone with COVID-19, and length of time outside of the facility. Read the summary from Consumer Voice providing basic information about quarantine and indicating when quarantine is necessary.
Using CMS Guidance to Open Nursing Home Doors (4/30/2021) - A conversation with Consumer Voice's Robyn Grant and Jocelyn Bogdan about how residents, families and advocates can use guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to facilitate in-person visitation.
Revised Nursing Home Guidance Webinar (3/12/2021) - This webinar provided an overview of the revised CMS visitation guidance, presented by Evan Shulman, CMS Director, Division of Nursing Homes. We also shared Consumer Voice’s initial thoughts about the guidance and next advocacy steps.
See more webinars about issues related to COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated their visitation (QSO-20-39-NH Revised) and testing (QSO-20-38-NH Revised) guidance (4/27/21) to reflect the newest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) lifting restrictions on dining and other activities for vaccinated nursing home residents.
CMS rescinded emergency waivers related to notice prior to discharge/transfer, care planning, and submission of Minimum Data Set. Waivers related to nurse aide training remain. QSO-21-17-NH (4/8/21) Read Consumer Voice's summary.
CMS updated its guidance on visitation in nursing homes - QSO-20-39-NH REVISED (3/10/21). Read Consumer Voice's summary, key takeaways and concerns about the guidance.
See more information about guidance issued by CMS, CDC, and ACL.
Archive
Consumer Voice Statement in Response to CMS Guidance to Reopen (6/2/2020)
Letter to House Ways and Means Committee Opposing Granting Immunity to Nursing Homes (6/24/2020)
Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Opposing Granting Immunity to Nursing Homes (5/11/20)
Letter from Organizations that Advocate for Older Adults (3/17/20)
With new directives placing strict limits on visitors to nursing homes and many assisted living facilities taking similar precautions, friends and families of residents living in long-term care facilities are using creative ways to stay in touch with their loved ones.
Creative Ideas and Practices for Staying Connected While Social Distancing and Visitation is Limited
Human Rights Watch: Concerns of Neglect in Nursing Homes
CDC: Long-Term Care Residents and Loved Ones: Answering Common Questions about COVID-19 Vaccines
Altarum: Experiences of Nursing Home Residents During the Covid-19 Pandemic Report
National Center on Elder Abuse: Keeping Family Together During COVID-19: A Checklist
National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC): Tips for Ombudsman Program Communication with Residents, Long-Term Care Facilities, Families and the Public During COVID-19
Institute on Aging: Frequently Asked Questions and Resource Guide on COVID-19 Related Scams; FAQs also available in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: Supporting Your Loved One in a Long-Term Care Facility
Alzheimer's Association: List of COVID-19 Resources
National Center on Law & Elder Rights: Advance Care Planning and COVID-19 (May 2020)
AARP: 6 Questions to Ask if Your Loved One is in a Nursing Home
NCLER: Nursing Homes Residents, Medicaid and Stimulus Checks: What You Need to Know