MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Nursing homes in Shelby County continue to curtail visitation amid the pandemic, and that’s leading to growing concern for families and government officials about the vulnerable residents inside.
County leaders report that first responders are having a hard time getting in, even in emergencies.
That leaves Barbara Jordan wondering what this means for her 95-year-old aunt, Carrie Grant.
Grant was one of nearly 100 residents and staff infected with the coronavirus inside Highlands of Memphis nursing home on Norriswood. Grant was able to fight off the virus, but her family was unable to be by her side to rejoice.
“She feels like we’ve deserted her. She’s like I can’t believe none of my family is here,” Jordan said.
That’s because nursing homes have stopped in-person visits. Gov. Bill Lee has stressed how vulnerable nursing home populations are, and in his most recent emergency order in June, said visitors are only allowed in counties that have fewer than 10 cases per day per 100,000 residents.
That’s hard and frustrating, Jordan said. For months, she’s settled with video chats with her aunt but fears that’s not enough.
She says, since she can’t step foot in the facility, it makes it hard to hold them accountable.
“It would be just wonderful to go in and see my aunt’s living conditions and see how she’s actually living,” Jordan said.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said her frustration is shared among others in the community.
“Now because of COVID, adult protective services cannot go into nursing homes, guardians can’t go into nursing homes and we have heard reports that some emergency personnel have a tough time getting in, even in emergencies,” Harris said.
He outlined those concerns in a letter he recently sent to the governor, where he wrote, “some facilities require full screening of ambulance personnel, even though emergency medical personnel have already been screened when they report to their duty location.”
He went on to write, “the full screening of each individual, often including signing forms, drastically increases response time for health emergencies, including cardiac arrest and stroke, when time is of the essence.”
Harris said he’s trying to raise the issue because it’s come to him “a few times now.” He said he has not heard back from the governor, but he says he expects he will.
A spokesperson for the governor said they received the letter and will review it, adding, “Long-term care facilities also must ensure that residents are afforded necessary visitation by service providers.”
Meanwhile, the state health department says they’ve been offering information to nursing homes on their website and said they’ve yet to be informed or identify any long-term care facility that has improperly continued visitations.
A spokesperson said in an email that they are not going into facilities to do routine inspections right now, either. The state said staff “has been following federal guidance” which “allows for immediate jeopardy level complaints in facilities, targeted (infection control) focused surveys and initial surveys only if and where there are access to care concerns.”
There is no word on when that will change.
Harris said one effective substitute could be virtual visitation, but some facilities don’t offer that. The mayor said he’s working on making that happen at nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the county, but admits that doesn’t help everyone.
“The problem is that tech doesn’t work in all cases, because so many residents in long-term facilities are incapacitated and can’t verbally communicate or interact and engage on their own,” Harris said. “But we’ve got to try to figure out how to balance this.”
As for Jordan, she says, like many in her shoes, she’s willing to get tested for COVID regularly or do whatever it takes to see her aunt.
“She’ll be 96 in October and we know there’s more time behind her than ahead of her. These are all days we are wasting away where we could actually be with her,” Jordan said.
WREG reached out to Highlands of Memphis nursing home several times to see what all they are doing to help loved ones like Jordan get in contact with their residents.
We have yet to hear back from an administrator.
The health department reports the facility is battling a second COVID outbreak that began Aug. 3. As of Thursday, they say there’s been another death and two staffers tested positive at the facility.
