Advocates say the bill would help to lessen the crushing loneliness experienced by people who’ve been stuck in long-term care facilities for more than a year without contact with family or friends.
The proposal, Senate Bill 2137, would require nursing homes to develop written policies to prevent social isolation, and to provide computers and videoconferencing equipment for face-to-face verbal communication, and religious or recreational activities.
“During this pandemic, so many people have been disconnected from their loved ones,” Richards said. “Residents should be afforded an opportunity to interact with the people they love.”
Some nursing homes began allowing in-person visits this year after the state prohibited them last year in March following the outbreak of COVID-19. But some still don’t allow in-person indoor visits, and some still don’t provide equipment for virtual visits, advocates said.
The measure was approved last week by the Health Committee in the state
“We support the general spirit of this bill and are working with legislators to help them understand how our members are already facilitating virtual visits and challenges with implementing the measure as currently written,” he wrote in a statement.
Nursing home residents have taken the greatest brunt of the pandemic, with more than 77,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 10,000 deaths.
The state’s laws are silent regarding residents’ rights to virtual visitation, according to the
As an example of the importance of virtual visits,
“They’ve seen a lot of little girls reading books or making cookies over FaceTime,” she said. “Did it matter? Absolutely.”
Nursing homes, many of which report operating at a loss, have raised concerns about the costs of buying assistive technology, and training and devoting staff to help residents with Zoom calls and other communication.
The measure calls for funding to be provided by the fines paid by nursing homes for violations cited by the
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