NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A little over a year after visitor restrictions were put into place to help protect residents from COVID-19, Brookdale communities across the country are now able to lift those restrictions to allow both outdoor and indoor visits, subject to specific state guidance.
The state regulatory agencies in the 43 states in which Brookdale operates have adapted guidance to align with the recently updated protocols from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and/or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allowing assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing facilities to loosen restrictions on visits. Independent living communities that are not licensed by the state, but which had restricted visits as a measure of protection, have also lifted visit restrictions.
“Brookdale has worked hard to keep our residents engaged and connected with their families, even when visits were not possible, by increasing use of technology and employing new ideas such as window visits and car parades,” says Lucinda Baier, president and CEO of Brookdale. “But there is no substitute for an actual visit with loved ones right inside a Brookdale community, our residents’ home.”
States such as Rhode Island, Washington and Florida have already been able to schedule families for indoor visits. In some states, state health departments have updated guidance to allow for “brief contact.”
Based in Nashville, Brookdale is the largest operator of seniors housing in the United States.