Holiday visits return to N.S. long-term care homes, but health precautions remain

After almost three years of COVID restrictions, the holidays will look a little different for those living in long-term care this year in Nova Scotia.

For the first time since 2019, residents will be able to visit family members or have visitors at their facilities.

“This holiday season we are so excited to be able to open up the doors to visitors, to family and friends,” said Michele Lowe, the executive director of Nursing Homes of Nova Scotia Association.

All long-term care facilities in the province will be open for the holidays. While there aren’t any visitor restrictions in place, visitors are required to wear masks and self-assess for cold and flu-like symptoms.

“If you have any kind of symptom at all you really should not come to visit your loved one in long-term care,” said Lowe, “Public Health has been very vocal about that.

“Please ensure if you are going to visit anyone in long-term care that you are symptom free.”

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As well, loved ones are permitted to take their family member home for the holidays — with some conditions.

“We’ve asked that they not take them out if there are folks in the family who are not feeling well. We’ve also recommended when they’re not eating and in larger groups to keep their masks on,” said Krista Beeler, the CEO of Dykeland Lodge, a long-term care home in Windsor.

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In Halifax, folks at Northwood will have the opportunity to share a meal with their family member in their room on Christmas Day.

Lisa Carr, the infection control specialist at Northwood, says they have special measures they’ll be using.

“We have a screening process in place of course, hand hygiene and changing of masks before entering the units,” she said.

With RSV and influenza infecting many homes this year, Lowe says there is concern about the risk to residents, but plans are in place to keep people safe.

“Staff again have become very adept at knowing whether or not they’re symptomatic or whether there are signs or symptoms in residents that they see and they have a very strict protocol that they follow just to minimize any risk to our vulnerable population,” she said.