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Current Visitation Rules and A Letter for the Holidays

Last Updated: November 22, 2021

A letter from the Governor’s office of Secretary Marylou Sudders to families of long-term care residents on celebrating Thanksgiving and winter holidays with their loved ones who reside in a long-term care facility.

November 19, 2021


Dear Families,

As we enter into this holiday season during this phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts and across the country, we are providing this guidance to families on celebrating Thanksgiving and winter holidays with your loved ones who reside in a congregate setting including a nursing home, rest home, assisted living residence or group home. The best way to minimize COVID-19 risk and keep your family and friends safe this holiday season is to get vaccinated and to avoid holiday gatherings if you are not well. The safest way to celebrate is at home, with the people you live with.

There are important considerations when planning celebrations with a loved one who lives in a congregate setting. Many people living in congregate settings are uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 and may have health conditions putting them at a higher risk of becoming sick, or even severely ill, with COVID-19.

There are a number of ways to safely celebrate the holidays with your loved one. Due to continued COVID-19 transmission across the state and country, we suggest that you consider the following recommendations from the CDC to enjoy holiday traditions and protect your health and the health of your loved one:
• Everyone five years and older is now eligible for vaccines. The best protection is to get vaccinated.
• For individuals not fully vaccinated, please wear a well -fitting mask when indoors in a public setting.
• If you are sick or have COVID-like symptoms, do not attend a holiday gathering.
• If you have COVID-like symptoms or have been recently in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please get tested.

Guidelines on Visits and Travel

All in-person visits and off-sites must follow established existing guidance and protocols. Please check the latest visitation guidance for long-term care facilities, ALRs, and congregate care settings and contact your loved one’sresidence if there are any questions or making off-site arrangements. Prior to any in-person visit, all participants should screen themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and are encouraged to get a COVID-19 test. Some facilities may offer testing and loved ones are encouraged to request it, if available. Please check Mass.gov/GetTested for locations.

If you are considering traveling for a holiday or event, visit CDC’s Travel page to help you decide what is best for you and your family. Everyone, even individuals who are fully vaccinated, is required to wear a mask on public transportation and follow international travel recommendations.

Additional Resources

In addition to discussing with your loved one’s facility or residence, there are resources available to discuss how to safely celebrate with your loved one. Families of loved ones in long-term care settings, including nursing homes, rest homes and assisted living residences, can contact the Nursing Home Family Resource at 617-660-5399.

Families of loved ones in other congregate settings should reach out to their loved one’s case manager, social worker, or service coordinator for additional support.

We hope that you and your loved ones have a safe and healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,


Marylou Sudder

Secretary

COVID-19 UPDATE

The safety and health of our residents and staff is at the forefront of our mind and decision making. We are following closely the guidelines handed to us from the CDC and DPH while ensuring our residents and staff are able to maintain a happy quality of living. If you have any questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Dear Families, 

Good News! We have received updated guidance from the EOEA regarding protocols for staff, residents, and visitors. One major announcement was that our vaccinated residents no longer need to wear masks. The team at Prosper Life Care is extremely excited to roll out new activities and initiatives that will foster a fun and prosperous life at our community.

While the vaccines are a monumental step in the right direction, it is not time to become lackadaisical in our approach to safety as it relates to the Covid-19 pandemic. The EOEA has published an updated document of guidelines and procedures all assisted living communities must follow to ensure resident safety. Prosper Life Care has responded to that document with a Widespread Community Plan to comply with the EOEA’s initiatives. 

Part of this Widespread Community Plan is guidelines and procedures around visitors to our community. Please reference the details below if/when you plan on visiting your loved one at one of our Prosper Life Care communities. Please also note that these guidelines are subject to NO active COVID clusters in the building. A cluster is considered when two or more non-related cases happen at the same time. This is opposed to if two people get it from each other, which is considered a related case and does not require altering visitation guidelines so long as contact tracing has occurred, and no additional cases are noted. If a cluster is present, all families will be notified of the changes to visitation policies. Regardless of your current vaccination status, please call the main line and ask what the status is of COVID in the building and if visitation rules have changed. 

The guidelines are separated between Fully Vaccinated and unvaccinated Individuals. Fully vaccinated individuals are defined as 14 days or more after their final dose.  In a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, the individual is fully vaccinated 14 days or more after their second dose.  After a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, the individual is fully vaccinated 14 days or more after the single dose. A person is considered Unvaccinated until 14 days after the final dose.

We will no longer be performing temperature checks and screening protocols upon entry, except for taking name and contact information.

 

Indoor Visits between Fully Vaccinated Individuals:

  • Visitors must wear a mask in common areas, only.
  • Visitors should perform hand hygiene before and after the visit. 
  • Visitors cannot visit if they have symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 2 weeks.
  • Any individual who enters our community and develops signs and symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, myalgia, chills, or new onset loss of smell or taste within two (2) days after must immediately notify us.

Indoor Visits between Unvaccinated Individuals:

  • Unvaccinated visitors must wear a mask at ALL times inside the community.
  • Visitors should perform hand hygiene before and after the visit. 
  • Visitors cannot visit if they have symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 2 weeks.
  • Any individual who enters our community and develops signs and symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, myalgia, chills, or new onset loss of smell or taste within two (2) days after must immediately notify us.
  • If brief physical contact is desired by both parties, especially between resident and visitor, they must perform hand hygiene prior to and after touching, hug with their faces in opposite directions and avoid face-to-face contact even when face masks are used.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us on our main line at the community and someone will be glad to help!