Nova Scotia announced Tuesday that with new cases of COVID-19 remaining low in the province, it will further ease restrictions in long-term care homes and allow designated caregivers to help care for and support residents.
According to the province, designated caregivers can be family members, spouses, friends or other support people.
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“They must be associated with specific caregiving tasks like personal care support, mobility or help with eating, and have an established caregiving relationship with the resident prior to COVID-19,” the government said in a press release.
The province implemented the following changes to be enforced by long-term care facilities:
- Work with residents and families to identify up to two designated caregivers per resident; only one designated caregiver may visit at a time.
- Train caregivers on public health requirements, including masking, good hand and respiratory hygiene, and facility procedures.
- Provide medical masks for caregivers to wear while with residents.
- Establish processes to screen caregivers upon entry and to easily identify caregivers onsite.
These changes are set to be implemented by individual long-term care homes as early as Sept. 11, the province said.
“Potential caregivers will make arrangements with individual facilities for training and visitation.”
More to come.