After last week’s advice to take precautions if you are visiting family and friends living in residential aged care, the Government has moved to restrict visits to aged care homes across the country to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Visits are now limited to two people per resident at one time each day and are restricted to rooms, outdoor areas or specific areas designated by the provider.
“If you don’t absolutely have to go to support a resident in care, please don’t,” Aged Care Minister Senator Richard Colbeck said.
Families are also requested to keep children at home, and facilities have been asked to not host large group visits or gatherings – including social activities and entertainment – until further notice.
Many providers had already put these kinds of measures into place to protect residents – or outright banned visitors – but these steps will now be strictly enforced because of the risk the illness poses to the elderly.
There will be some exceptions – families of older people who are receiving palliative care will be able to visit at the discretion of the provider.
“Social distancing measures will still apply for families of loved ones in end-of-life phase,” Minister Colbeck said. “However, providers are expected to show compassion and make sensible decisions on a case-by-case basis.”
We realise for many of you, being asked to not visit your loved ones is extremely hard.
In times of crisis, we want to reassure Mum and Dad that everything will be well and keep their spirits up.
But given the recent serious outbreaks in aged care homes in other countries (like at the Life Care Center in Seattle, US, pictured above), it is a necessary step.
Providers are being asked to make sure video calls are available to all residents to help them stay in contact with their family and friends.
Again, we know this can present a challenge for some older people who have poor hearing and struggle with phone conversations.
However, you can be reassured that facilities are doing all they can to prevent the spread of the virus – and our aged care staff will be doing their best to make sure that our older Australians receive the best care they possibly can during this tough time.
You can find more information for families of aged care residents from the Department of Health here.
You can also call healthdirect’s 24-hour Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.
