Visiting Hours via Laptop

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Cathy D’Amato’s mother is 70 years old, has dementia and just got out of the hospital after being treated for pneumonia. She checked into a rehab center to recover March 12, as the news surrounding the spread of COVID-19 became much more sobering.
Within 24 hours, the rehab facility announced a ban on visitors. Soon after, because of that ban, D’Amato’s mother checked out, against the advice of her doctors.
“The choice is to leave her in the facility, and she will lose her mind, or you take her home and she will get sick and die,” D’Amato said, in an interview with the Herald.  
“We really thought about, OK, well what is the safest place for her to be? With her respiratory problems, if she gets this virus, she will die, but we are also concerned if she had 30 days of no visitors and a lack of intellectual stimulation….She was terrified of going into this rehab center and losing what was left of her memory,” D’Amato, who has a home in the Wildwoods, said. 
So, home she went, and she remains there, near the Poconos Mountains. The therapy she would have received in the rehab center is being administered by her grandchildren from Wildwood via Facetime.
“The only thing we can really do is call them and my father puts the iPad on and my kids say yeah, grand-mom get up get off the chair. Take three steps. Take another step. And we try to urge her on. That’s the only contact we have,” D’Amato said.
Nursing Homes 
At Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a county-operated facility, six laptops are set up with Skype for residents to use with staff to assist them, said Diane Wieland, the county’s public information officer.
In interviews conducted by nursing home administrators and emailed to the Herald, residents remained positive during the no-visitor period.
“I used Facetime to talk to my wife! That was very good. I could see her and she could see me. I’m going to be 92 in May; she’ll be 90 in April. It’s good to see each other,” said Charles Juechter, one resident. 
“I miss my group lunch and dinner, but I’m not afraid or anything,” Juechter continued, adding he is monitoring the virus developments on television. 
“Get the hairdresser in! I only miss getting my hair done,” said Alfretta Trout, 93, from South Dennis. “It’s hard but we’ve got a lot to appreciate here. We’re well.”
Emma Whipp, a 94-year-old resident, has a happy and simple approach. 
“The food here is good and they give me ice cream every day! What else could you need?” she asked.
Hospitals 
Inside hospitals, there is an added emphasis on providers communicating with family members on the phone, who would otherwise be in the room to ask the doctors questions.
“We have established a process for the nurses, staff, or physician, to communicate directly with the patients’ loved ones, regarding updates on their status. We are collecting phone numbers at the point of registration and sharing them with the appropriate care team members,” Vincent DelGozzo, Cape Regional’s public relations director, wrote in an e-mail to the Herald.
“We know being separated from loved ones – especially if you are sick or injured – is hard,” stated Kathy Birkenstock, chief nursing officer, AtlantiCare. “We are reassuring hospitalized patients by calling family members to keep them involved in care and connected with each other. We always approach patient care as if patients were members of our own families. During this time, we are especially humbled by the privilege we have to care for them and our community.”
Try to Explain
Nurses are attempting to explain to patients the rationale for the ban on their loved ones. 
“One man that I took care of kept mentioning his children and how they missed him and wanted to see him so badly. After he mentioned it a second time, I made sure to emphasize the risks associated,” said one local hospital nurse not authorized to speak to reporters.
“It’s sad. When you’re not feeling well or have to have an unplanned procedure or hospital stay, all you want is your loved ones. The hospital is quiet, and the vibe is very serious,” the nurse continued.
Exceptions are being made at Cape Regional, in Court House, allowing one visitor for end-of-life care, maternity and pediatric patients and some exceptions for ER and same-day surgery patients.
“Individuals who meet these exceptions will be screened for symptoms of fever and respiratory illness before being allowed to accompany a patient,” DelGozzo said. 
Area hospitals are preparing by ordering more antivirals, antibiotics, and intravenous (IV) fluids in anticipation of drug shortages as the coronavirus continues to spread, sources said.
“I’m not nervous at this time. For now, we have masks, gloves, and gowns to protect us, but I do fear these supplies will eventually run out,” said one clinician who works in an area hospital’s emergency room, and spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to comment publicly.
Limited Beds 
The number of beds remains a concern. The county has less than 250 beds, according to a report from Rutgers University. In Atlantic County, Shore Medical Center and the AtlantiCare facilities have an additional 800, according to Rutgers’ numbers.
The research, compiled by Rutgers, projects a shortfall of 1,200-3,200 beds in Cape May County alone. The shortfall in Atlantic County could be more than 9,000, the research indicates.
“There are a number of things that have been discussed, I can tell you, about additional beds if necessary. That has come up several times in our discussions here. The hospital is working very closely with us,” Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton told the Herald.
“We have done some additional modeling that puts the best-case scenario estimate at closer to 600. So we are looking at 600-3,000 in Cape May, said Sarah Allred, the faculty director at Rutgers Sen. Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs, where the research was conducted, said in an e-mail to the Herald.
“As we get more information, we are modifying the model and it’s possible it will improve. In particular, if the spread of the virus slows in the summer months, the numbers might look better. Right now, we do not know if this will happen or not,” Darren Spielman, the executive director of the public affairs institute added.
President Donald Trump said he is considering an offer from Micky Arison, Carnival Cruise Line’s chairman, to turn cruise vessels into floating hospitals and will discuss it with state governors.
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.