Irving man hasn't been able to see his 90-year-old mother, who has dementia, in-person since March
IRVING, Texas - Newly lifted restrictions at nursing homes are bringing some relief to some families this weekend, but not all.
The rules banning visitors meant months of separation from loved ones in assisted living facilities.
It’s difficult times for the ones living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The pandemic is forcing them to be separated.
Now, this week, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission lifted some restrictions.
Limited visitation is now allowed, if the facility has no confirmed cases of its staff in the past 14 days, no active cases in residents, and so long as facility staff is tested weekly.
RELATED: New guidelines allow some visitors at Texas nursing homes, long-term care facilities
Ric Nelson, of Irving, has not been able to see his 90-year-old mother, who lives with dementia, since March.
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She’s staying in a long-term care facility that has a separate wing for COVID-19 patients. He’s frustrated because even though those patients are inside an entirely different wing, cut off from his mother, it prevents him from seeing her.
“Because she can’t understand why I can’t come in and be with her, and it’s been since March 12 that I have not been able to see her and I have to bring signs to ask the staff what she needs,” Nelson explained.
State Representative Scott Sanford said that the state is working with a phases approach to allowing more family visitors at these facilities.
A couple of week ago, he penned a letter to state officials asking for some of these restrictions to be lifted. He feels there’s still more that can be done to allow family members to safely visit their loved ones.