Family members who may be thinking about removing their loved ones from care home facilities during COVID-19 should be cautious of the possible repercussions, says the executive director of long term care for Grey County.
"If someone does choose to take their loved one home, their bed at the facility is released and another resident will be assigned to that bed,” explained Jennifer Cornell, executive director of long term care with Grey County, during a virtual meeting of the long term care committee of management on April 9.
Cornell says removing loved ones from long term care facilities has been a topic of discussion throughout the province recently, with some families feeling their loved ones may be better off isolating at home with family.
“I believe in our homes in Grey there has been some discussion but no one has opted to take anyone home,” Cornell says.
She adds that most of the residents that are currently in care require 24-hour assistance and taking them out of a facility that has the capabilities of providing around-the-clock care may not be the best course of action.
“The idea that a family could take a resident out of care for a while and bring them back, that is not the case,” added Kim Wingrove, CAO of Grey County.
Cornell confirms Wingrove's point, saying that once a resident has left a home care facility, they cannot be readmitted and would be required to reapply for a new position.
“They will be able to reapply, but there is not a lot of information on how long their wait to get back into the home could be,” Cornell says.
