Image of male nurse pushing senior woman in a wheelchair in nursing facility

Long-term care providers are being encouraged to communicate with families on a weekly basis about updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The advice comes from guidance on effective communication strategies released by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living. The organization notes that the guidance isn’t a requirement but rather the tactics “can help ensure that residents and families receive important information during this challenging time.”

Weekly updates can be split among staff members. The association suggested that providers designate a staff member per day to call families and develop a list that allows families to receive at least one update per week. The group added that staff members who are particularly good at communicating with families may be the best option for challenging situations. 

The guidance also notes that each weekly update should explain the steps the facility is taking amid the pandemic, and that a caller should be ready to answer any questions families may have. Providers also are encouraged to be aware of emotional stress that family members may be experiencing. 

“Effective communication is always important but is critical in this COVID-19 environment with heightened emotions, fear of the unknown and restrictions on family member in-person visitation,” AHCA/NCAL states. “Family members want to know that their loved one is safe, that providers are doing everything possible to protect their loved ones, and to feel a sense of connectedness especially because they can’t be with their loved ones,”. 

In other coronavirus-related news:

• In a move that will please long-term care providers, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday that they would be delaying action on interoperability final rules that were announced March 9, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. “Enforcement discretion” was the operative phrase in Tuesday’s announcement.

Pertinent language on the delays, which could add three to six months to previously announced timetables, can be found on the CMS website here

The agencies, along with the Office of Inspector General, will “continue to monitor the implementation landscape to determine if further action is needed,” federal regulators said in a statement.

• Wedding bells rang outside of a Rhode Island nursing home last week. The ceremony happened in a garden outside of Linn Health & Rehabilitation in East Providence, NJ, and followed social distancing guidelines. The bride works as a certified nursing assistant at the facility; she met the groom through his mother, who is a resident at the facility. The couple was set to wed later this year, but changed their plans so that the groom’s 92-year-old mother could attend.