RNAO board member Julie Rubel writes a letter to the Waterloo Region Record (Aug 9) about how long-term care residents should be allowed to visit with their loved ones.

It shouldn’t be this difficult to visit a loved one in a long-term care (LTC) home. But this is what Ontario families are experiencing as government protocols are interpreted differently by nursing home operators. It means some can visit up close while others visit metres apart, unable to hold their loved one’s hand.

We know the effects that shutting down LTC homes for months has had on residents. Intended to protect residents, restrictions were indeed depriving them of the love only families can give. Even now, some decline as they are denied the assistance loved ones provide with personal care activities like eating, toileting and exercising.

The looming second wave dictates we rethink how residents are reunited with their loved ones. We need a uniform approach that all nursing home operators are required to follow. Residents should have the right to identify up to three essential family care partners with no restrictions on how often or how long visits last, even during an outbreak. Personal protective equipment should be readily available and communication between families and homes must be regular and clear.

Nursing homes are people’s homes. Residents have a right to see their family. Let’s get this right.

UPDATE: In September, the Ontario government updated the visitor policy for long-term care homes. Essential caregivers are now allowed to visit any time, even during an outbreak, subject to direction from the local public health unit. Each resident can have two caregivers. As of Oct. 7, only essential visitors are allowed to visit loved ones in long-term care homes in Ottawa, Peel Region, and Toronto. Nursing homes in York Region were added to the list Oct. 19.