TYLER, Texas — After nearly six months of isolation, The Heights of Tyler became the first nursing home in the city Thursday to resume visits from family members.
It was far from a normal family reunion, but it was enough to bring lots of people to tears.
“It’s been a very emotional day,” Janna Kuechle, the nursing home’s administrator, said. “For us, the team members, certainly the residents, and their families. It’s been right at six months since they’ve been able to be in the same space, even within six feet of each other, and today was a good day.”
More than 60 families signed up for places on the schedule. The Heights set up six outdoor spots on its grounds where relatives could sit at least six feet away from each other. Each family was granted 15 minutes together, and then staff had five minutes to sanitize the space before the next family arrived.
All visitors underwent temperature screens and questioning related to COVID-19. Kuechle said 19 employees spent their entire day checking in visitors or monitoring the visits. The state granted The Heights permission to hold Stage One visits Tuesday, and dozens of reunions took place 48 hours later.
“That’s how eager our families were to come see their loved ones,” Kuechle said.
Brenda Olson got to spend her 15 minutes with her mother. The joy on their faces caused Brenda and several nearby staff members to tear up.
“It’s been a very difficult road the last five and a half months,” Olson said, “but [there are] good people taking care of her, lots of love. We’ve gotten through it.
“But today is a better day. It’s a first step.”
Olson has come to The Heights every day during the pandemic, sitting on the other side of a glass door from her mom. She said her mother has good days and bad days, but every visit has been worthwhile. “At least I have eyes on her every day,” she explained, “about 11:30 every day I’m parked by that door.”
Dennis Yarbrough said he would visit his mother every day before the pandemic began.
“And to be shut out for five or six months, that’s been a little bit of a struggle on her,” Yarbrough said. “Her attitude has changed. It’s lowered. Her expectation is not as high.”
He said he went with her to a doctor’s appointment two days prior, but he was still excited when nurses pushed his mother’s wheelchair out the door and to the table where he was sitting. They speak on the phone every night and watch 'Wheel of Fortune' together, but he said sitting nearby and seeing her face was better.
“I’m glad to see her as much as I can and as many times as I can,” Yarbrough said.
The Heights had to receive special permission from the state to hold these visits. All staff members had to test negative for COVID-19 four times in two weeks before the state issued its waiver. Kuechle said the diligence of everyone at The Heights, including contractors and vendors, to make sure infections prevention protocols were met.
“I have to give my team members the credit because if they weren’t practicing what they were supposed to at home--wearing their masks when they were out, social distancing when they were in groups," Kuechle explained. "All of the things we’ve all been hearing, we’re living that, day in and day out so that we can come up here and not bring it to our residents.”
She said getting to this point as quickly as possible was important because of how much it could improve the mental and physical health of her residents.
“I can tell you, it’s gonna uplift their spirits," Kuechle said. "We had a situation where—we’ve been able to do end-of-life visits all along. And we had a particular family that we allowed to do this visit, because we really felt like their family was not gonna be with us long. They were able to come in, they were able to visit with her, and just today, she has come off of hospice and has started rehab because she didn’t die.
“Once she saw her family, she has gained weight, she’s eating again. And that was an approved, end-of-life visit, so I can only imagine what this is gonna do for those that aren’t to that level to just lift their spirits, to be able to see their family members.”
The residents and their families were separated for two days shy of six months. Olson said the distance was tough on both her and her mother, but she was happy with her mother’s condition and spirit Thursday afternoon. She knew it would be a good visit as soon as she saw her mother point at her, which she called her mom’s “preacher mode.”
“I felt that she knew that I was really here and that I wasn’t just saying it, like I have been for five months, that we’re gonna get back together in person,” Olson said, trying to contain more tears. “I felt like she actually saw it happen, and I’m just so glad. Because, you know, we don’t know how long we’ll have them, and it’s just a relief to be able to connect again.”
Kuechle said The Heights plans to allow visits once a week but spread out over all seven days to make it more manageable for the staff.