Understanding Compassionate Care Visits
At Benchmark Senior Living, we are committed to ensuring that our residents and families stay connected – regardless of the circumstances. Human connection is at the core of our mission and we are unwavering in this pursuit, particularly during these challenging times.
The global pandemic has significantly changed how we all interact with one another. This can have a severe impact on seniors who are facing physical, emotional and mental crises. Through compassionate care visits, a family member, friend or clergy, for example, can provide support to a resident even at a time when visits may be restricted due to state guidelines or when communities have active COVID-19 cases.
Compassionate care visits may be arranged with residents who are:
- Struggling with a lack of physical family support.
- Grieving the death of a loved one.
- In need of encouragement to eat or drink; usually previously provided by a loved one.
- Emotionally distressed, seldom speaks, or cries frequently; when such behavior was not displayed previously.
- Facing end of life.
These critical interactions can make a tremendous difference for residents and those who love them and can occur daily, weekly or, simply, when the time is right.
Thankfully, the intentions of compassionate care are better understood today, compared to just a few months ago. Public health agencies have now recognized the trauma many seniors and the seriously ill were facing as COVID-19 restrictions kept them from family and friends. In September, for example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified examples of compassionate care visits: it’s not only end-of-life care. The states have supported this view.
Today, each of your states allow compassionate care visits when visitation restrictions are in place. Of course, like hospitals and other senior living settings, Benchmark is committed to following strict public health guidelines for each of these visits. It’s paramount for us to keep our residents, family members and associates safe.
Our associates will screen every visitor to ensure he or she does not exhibit symptoms or may have been exposed to COVID-19. They will also escort visitors to their loved ones and, following visits, will disinfect the rooms. Visitors are required to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand wash, as well as take precautions as outlined in the Benchmark Community Promise. Compassionate care visits require an appointment, which can be made by contacting your community’s front desk.
This is a process unlike anything many of us have experienced or imagined prior to COVID-19, but I can assure you that our leadership and associates are dedicated to making you and our residents as comfortable as possible.
Benchmark’s mission is not only to provide world-class care, but to do so in a way that keeps us focused on who and what matters most: our residents, their families and our associates. This goal is guided by our core values of Called to Care, Better Together and Be the Benchmark.
If you have any questions about compassionate care visits, please reach out to your community. Our team will be happy to provide more information.
