Nursing Home Residents Get To Hug Family After One Year

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — It's been a year since some Parks Springs Life Plan Community's long-term care, memory care and assisted living residents have felt a hug from a family member, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But now, after 12 months of visits with social distancing and barriers to protect the population most vulnerable to the virus, Parks Springs is opening its doors to family members once again now that residents are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Residents are now able to have family members age 12 and older in their rooms for scheduled visits — without the barriers and distancing. Masks are still mandatory for all visitors, and social distancing from other families is also required.

“We have come full circle from where we were one year ago when we locked the doors to the outside world,” said Donna Moore, COO at Isakson Living, which owns and operates Park Springs. “At the beginning of this pandemic, we had 75 of our staff lock-in with our members for 75 days to protect them from COVID-19. Even after emerging from the lock-in in June, we steadfastly tested and followed all the protocols and guidelines to protect our members. And now that our members have been vaccinated and cleared the waiting period, we are so happy to see them reunited with their families.”

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely visit with other vaccinated people and small groups of unvaccinated people, as long as safety precautions are followed.

According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of the vaccine — a milestone Parks Springs residents passed March 6.

Throughout the pandemic — and the two-month lockdown — Parks Springs staff didn't let their residents miss moments with family. Staff kept families together, virtually, through Zoom calls, FaceTime and other technologies; window visits; and outdoor visits at fully-enclosed tent structures with a clear plastic sheet between residents and family.

“This is a long-anticipated day for our entire community as we know our members will receive so much joy in being able to hug and hold hands with their families after not being able to for so long,” said Park Springs Healthcare Administrator Nadia Williams. “Every time we cross a milestone — bringing back meals together in the household dining rooms, allowing interhousehold visits, creating the opportunity for outside visits, administering vaccinations — we are that much closer to normal. But this feels like the biggest step in that direction, and we are so happy for this day to have finally come.”

Parks Springs is located at 500 Springhouse Circle in Stone Mountain.