North Texas families fighting for more visitation at nursing homes, care facilities

Many caregivers are fighting for more access to their family members in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

In August, the state started allowing some visitation if facilities were able to meet certain criteria, but many families say the restrictions are nearly impossible to meet.

Many North Texas families are trying to raise awareness for the problems many are facing.

Right now, in order to allow limited visits, facilities can’t have any COVID-19 cases within the last two weeks, and nursing homes must test employees weekly for the coronavirus.

They’re also not allowed to have any physical contact.

Families still waiting to see their loved ones are saying the reality is that changes are needed.

There are signs bearing the names of those who have died or are still living mostly in isolation since March under strict COVID-19 visitor restrictions.

Mary Nichols’ mother, who has end stage Alzheimer’s, is one of them.

“This is so suckingly painful,” Nichols said. “When Governor Abbott signed the order on March 13, prohibiting visitors from nursing homes, he signed a decree that I would never see my mother again alive.”

Her mother’s condition makes phone calls or video chats impossible.

Her only connection is a video camera set up in her mother’s room.

The six months they’ve been kept apart is time they can’t get back.

“She has lost whatever cognitive ability she had at that time, it’s gone now,” Nichols said.

Stephanie Kirby’s 28-year-old son has intellectual disabilities and lives at the Denton State Supported Living Center.

She hasn’t seen him, except when her son harmed himself and landed in the hospital twice.

“What does he think? Did mom just decide she didn’t want to see me anymore and never came back?” Kirby said.

Kirby said current visitation guidelines requiring no COVID cases for two weeks are unrealistic for many facilities.

According to the Texas Healthcare Association, only 38 nursing homes across the state have been able to grant visitation.

“We’re being held hostage by fluid numbers that can change daily. What if we do get to zero and we can go see them, and somebody does become positive and then visitation is cancelled and we have to wait 14 days,” Kirby said.

Both women, along with other caregivers in similar situations, are advocating for at least one essential support person for each nursing home or care facility resident so they can get some kind of contact with loved ones.

“We’re not just statistics, we’re not rolling data and rolling numbers, these are human beings. They have feelings,” Kirby said.

And though Nichols believes it may be too late for her family, she’s continuing to push for other families.

“Maybe we can get this changed so there’s visitation before somebody else loses the last bit of cognition their loved one has, or maybe we can get it changed before another person dies alone,” she said.

Gov. Abbott said there may be an announcement next week to provide an update on this issue, but some families said they are cautiously optimistic about if they’ll see any positive changes.