With the lifting of the visitation ban, we present here the requirements for visits to nursing homes and residences, published by the DGS.
According to the note, the institution must create a plan for the operationalization of visits and identify a professional responsible for the process. It should be this professional who informs relatives and visitors about the conditions of the visits.
These visits must be previously scheduled and there must be a record of the visitors as well as the date, time, contact and resident visited. All visits must follow rules of physical distancing, breathing etiquette, and hand hygiene.
Anyone with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or who has had contact with a suspected or confirmed case in the past 14 days should not conduct or receive visits.
In addition to being pre-arranged, visits should be time-limited, not to exceed 90 minutes. According to the information, visitors should wear mask, preferably surgical, during the entire period of stay in the institution. They should also not bring personal belongings, food or other products.
Initially, one of the requirements for visits to homes and residences is that each user has only one visit per week. However, this limit “can be adjusted depending on the conditions of the institution and the local epidemiological situation, in conjunction with the local health authority and according to risk assessment.
Visitors should not move around the institution or use the users’ sanitary facilities. Thus, a sanitary facility should be defined for their exclusive use.
The institution must also take a series of measures, namely that the visit takes place in a proper, large and airy space (ideally, an exterior space). Visits should not take place in the users’ living room or bedroom, except in cases where the user is bedridden.
Among other measures, the institution must ensure compliance with the rules defined by the DGS for the containment of COVID-19 transmission. Whenever possible, it should define corridors and circulation doors for visitors only.
SOURCE: DGS – https://www.dgs.pt/em-destaque/dgs-publica-requisitos-para-visitas-a-lares-de-idosos.aspx
