RESIDENTS LEAVING AND RETURNING TO THE HOME – updated October 2020
Q: Can my loved one leave their retirement home?
A: Retirement home residents who wish to go outside of the home (e.g., absences with friends or family, shopping, medical appointments, etc.) are permitted to do so if the following requirements are met, according to the Retirement Home COVID-19 Visiting Policy:
For an absence that does NOT include an overnight stay:
- Upon return to the home, residents must be actively screened and monitored for symptoms but are not required to be tested or self-isolate.
- Residents must wear a face covering/mask at all times when outside of the home (if tolerated) and be reminded about the importance of public health measures including physical distancing. The resident is responsible for supplying a face covering/mask while they are on absences. The home may, at its discretion, opt to supply face coverings/masks for absences.
- Education on all required protocols for short absences, such as IPAC and PPE, will be provided by the home
Homes in outbreak will put a hold on starting new absences. Short absences for essentials (e.g. groceries, medical appointments, filling prescriptions) may be continued.
For home in Alert and High Alert Areas, Retirement home residents may be permitted to leave the home to meet essential needs (e.g., groceries, medical appointments, filling prescriptions).
For an absence that includes at least one overnight stay:
- Residents must wear a face covering/mask at all times when outside of the home (if tolerated) and be reminded about the importance of public health measures including physical distancing. The resident is responsible for supplying a face covering/mask while they are on absences. The home may, at its discretion, opt to supply face coverings/masks for absences.
- Education on all required protocols for short absences, such as IPAC and PPE, will be provided by the home to the resident prior to their absence.
- Upon return to the home, residents must self-isolate for 14 days under Droplet and Contact Precautions, but are not required to be tested upon re-entry to the home.
- Residents who are self-isolating for 14-days following an overnight stay may not receive general visitors, leave the home for short absences or for overnight stays
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For homes in outbreak, Overnight absences not allowed and there is a hold on new absences.
For homes in Alert and High Alert areas, overnight absences are not permitted. Retirement home residents may be permitted to leave the home for a few hours to meet essential needs (e.g., groceries, medical appointments, filling prescriptions).
Q: I/my loved one has gone to the hospital. Can the Retirement Home refuse take me/my loved one back to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the home?
A: Hospitals may discharge patients to retirement homes where:
- The receiving home is NOT in a COVID-19 outbreak
- The resident has been tested for COVID-19 at point of discharge, has a negative test result and is transferred to the home not more than 24 hours of receiving the result
- The receiving home has sufficient staffing and a plan to ensure that the resident being readmitted can complete 14-days of self-isolation and continue with other COVID-19 preparedness measures
Residents being admitted who have been cleared of COVID-19 24-hours before move-in do not need to undergo 14-days of self-isolation (e.g., individual was positive and is no longer positive).
There are no restrictions on residents returning to the home from outpatient visits. Residents returning from outpatient visits to hospitals (e.g. visit for broken bone, medical appointment within the hospital, dialysis appointment) should undergo the required screening and monitoring when returning to the retirement home. Further, a COVID-19 test is not required in these circumstances.
For example, there may be a resident going to hospital for dialysis three times a week. Upon returning to the home, the resident must be screened. The retirement home would continue to actively screen the resident for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 twice daily, including the atypical signs and ensuring the home has a very high suspicion for the development of any signs in the resident. The home could also have good dialogue with the dialysis unit to see if there are any concerns on their end. The home would also want to ensure that the resident is performing hand hygiene, and the resident could wear a mask when going to appointments.
NEW RESIDENT ADMISSIONS – updated October 2020
For new resident admissions requirements and recommendations, please see the Retirement Home COVID-19 Visiting Policy.
Q: Are homes allowed to admit new residents?
A: Homes currently in outbreak are NOT allowed to admit new residents. Under exceptional circumstances admissions may take place during an outbreak if it is approved by the local public health unit and there is concurrence between the home, public health and hospital.
For homes not in an outbreak, Alert or High Alert areas:
All new admissions from the community or from a hospital (including ALC patients) to a retirement home must be tested for COVID-19 and have a negative result and is transferred to the home within 24 hours of receiving the result or is confirmed infected and cleared of COVID-19. Residents being admitted who have been confirmed infected and then cleared of COVID-19 before move-in do not need to undergo 14-days of self-isolation.
A new admission still must isolate for 14 days and then be tested with negative result at the end of 14 days. A negative result does not rule out the potential for incubating illness and all new residents who have not been previously cleared of COVID-19 must remain in isolation under Droplet and Contact Precautions for a 14-day period following arrival.
Under all circumstances, the home must have sufficient staffing and a plan to ensure the resident being admitted (except for those who have been cleared of COVID-19) can complete 14-days of self-isolation under Droplet and Contact Precautions, and is tested again at the end of self-isolation, with a negative result. If the result is positive, the resident must complete another 14-days of self-isolation.
The resident must be placed in a room with no more than one other resident after self-isolation.
Q: Can family members help with move-in of new residents?
A: The Chief Medical Officer of Health has directed that retirement homes can allow visits for retirement home residents. The home must NOT be in outbreak.
RHRA understands that there are varying circumstances that surround moving resident’s belongings. In these cases, the home should consult with the local public health unit. Public health can provide guidance that considers factors specific to the situation, such as location and amount of the individual’s belongings, the risk of outbreak in the home and the community, etc.
