Some long-term facilities able to reopen to restricted visitors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Assisted living communities, licensed personal care homes and family care homes were given the state’s okay to allow restricted visitors on Monday.

Even though they’ve been anxiously waiting for this day for weeks, many assisted living and personal care homes that could open to limited visitors, didn’t. They simply couldn’t be ready with new guidelines that just came out Friday.

“They’re very restrictive so we had to absorb and we understand why. Our ultimate goal is to protect our residents as well,” says Jacqueline Kennedy, director of marketing at Legacy Reserve at Fritz Farm.

The guidelines allow some long-term facilities two visitors per resident, for a limited time, restricted to one area. The visit can’t be in a living area and has to be close to the front door.

“We have to submit a written plan to the state of all the things we’re gonna be able to do that are going to follow the guidance that was issued on Friday,” says Karen Venis, CEO of the Sayre Christian Village.

Legacy Reserve at Fritz Farm and the Sayre Christian Village both weren’t ready to bring visitors in Monday.

“Our first and foremost priority is visitation. We know people want to see their loved ones and we want that too,” says Kennedy.

Legacy Reserve hopes it can start as early as this week.

For Sayre Christian Village, it might be a little longer.

“A lot of folks think that we’re doing this too soon. We’ve worked tremendously hard here on campus to keep our residents safe for the last nearly four months so it does seem kind of counter intuitive just to open up the doors today so we won’t be doing that, we’re not ready,” says Venis.

Venis says they’ll have to make some physical changes and that can’t happen overnight.

Resident Betty Goss doesn’t mind.

“I’m in no hurry to go downstairs but when it happens my feeling is it’s gonna be safe otherwise they wouldn’t let us go down,” says Betty Goss, resident at Sayre Christian Village.

In the meantime, she’ll talk on the phone to her loved ones and stay safe until the virus calms down.

“I’m looking forward to that day and I think we’re all praying for that day,” says Goss.

Also Monday, some long-term facilities were able to resume communal dining at six feet apart and start back group activities with ten people or less.

On July 15, skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, nursing homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities will be allowed to have limited resident visitation.