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The number of infections is increasing again in Germany. As in spring, hospitals and nursing homes are reacting by banning visitors. Patient advocates harshly criticize this approach. They fear illegal spaces.
By Ariane Reimers, ARD capital studio
Emotional dramas took place behind the doors of nursing homes during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring. Men were no longer allowed to visit their wives and children could not visit their parents. Terrible for family and residents.
Dementia patients in particular suffered from the situation. They just didn’t understand why suddenly no one could come. And in the facilities that were directly affected by Corona, some relatives were not even allowed to say goodbye to the dying.
20 rapid tests per resident
The institutions themselves were overwhelmed by the situation. Because above all, the task was to save lives and protect residents and nurses from the new virus. Because it quickly became clear how dangerous Corona can be, especially for older people. However, all parties largely agreed that isolation should not be repeated, especially in nursing homes.
Half a year later, the number of infections in Germany is again increasing dramatically. Unlike the first wave, there is now enough protective clothing and disinfectant. For each resident of a nursing home, up to 20 rapid tests should be made available per month to screen potential visitors.
Clinics close to visitors
However, more and more nursing homes and hospitals are once again banning visits. In Chemnitz, for example, it has been in force since Tuesday, in the Mecklenburg lake district the eight clinics have closed their doors to visitors since Wednesday, in Berlin the hospitals of the Vivantes Group. Either because there is an outbreak at the facility or because the carrier chose to have the restriction.
Eugen Brysch of the German Foundation for Patient Protection has strongly criticized this approach. This would create illegal spaces: “A patient has all the rights of freedom, he cannot be locked up, he cannot be locked up.” Therefore, it is very interesting that the courts opposed these measures in urgent motions. Brysch requires that, in any case, the competent authorities have to give their consent if the institutions issue bans on care.
The pandemic exacerbates staff shortages
The federal government’s authorized caretaker Andreas Westerfellhaus is also not satisfied with the current situation. He complains that there are no uniform rules in Germany, that it is not clear why one institution allows visits and the other does not. That is why Westerfellhaus is currently working on an action recommendation to visit concepts.
Everyone should be able to orient themselves: family members, neighbors, facility operators and authorities. Trust transparency, for example, when it comes to Christmas. You could, for example, distribute the visitors over several days and communicate it in due time: “If I tell someone that they will not go on Christmas Eve because not all relatives can come one day, but on Christmas day or Christmas day. That is transparency with which I also give hope “.
However, the best concept of visit is useless if there are not enough staff on the premises. The pandemic proves once again that nurses have long been working well beyond their limits. And Corona means extra work: hygiene regulations, rapid tests, visitor management. Who should do that when there is a shortage of staff for basic tasks? If, at the end of the day, the visit is contrary to care, all facilities must opt for the latter.
Responsibility is heavy
Every forbidden visit causes damage, that is the conclusion of the first wave of the pandemic, but every visit that is not well prepared is also a potential risk of infection. The responsibility is heavy to make the right decision here. If each individual agency has to make its own decisions, there is a great risk of more restrictive measures being adopted. Because no one can and wants to be responsible for a corona breakout in a nursing home or hospital.
The first reports on this topic in the Berlin report on October 25, 2020 at 6:05 pm
