Effective: June 2021
Compassionate Caregiving
A member experiencing a long-term or acute physical, mental, or psychosocial health condition for which, in the opinion of the member, their representative, or a health care professional a compassionate caregiving visitor would improve the member’s quality of life, the member or their repr e sentative will designate at least two compassionate caregiving visitors at one time, and the facility will record such designation in the members’s individualized comprehensive plan of care.
Situations in which a resident is eligible for a compassionate caregiving visitor include but are not limited to the following:
- End of life
- The member, who was living with their family before recently being admitted to an adult care facility, is struggling with the change in environment and lack of physical family support;
- The member is grieving after a friend or family member recently passed away;
- The member needs cueing and encouragement with eating or drinking, and such cueing was previously provided by family and/or caregiver(s), and the member is now experiencing weight loss or dehydration.
- The member, who used to talk and interact with others, is experiencing emotional distress, seldom speaking, or crying more frequently (when the member had rarely cried in the past).
Compassionate caregiving visitation will be permitted at all times, regardless of any general visitation restrictions or personal caregiving visitation restrictions in effect in the facility.
The facility will require compassionate caregiving visitors to be screened for communicable diseases prior to entering the facility and visits must be conducted using appropriate social distancing between the member and visitor if applicable based on guidance from the New York State Department of Health.
The facility has established policies and procedures to ensure that any necessary physical contact follows appropriate infection prevention guidelines to include:
- The visitor’s use of personal protective equipment
- Adhering to hand hygiene protocols before and after member contact
- That physical contact is limited in duration.