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dn1253 Asked September 2021

Can a nursing home prohibit my mother's ortho appointment due to covid?

Mother fell out of her wheelchair and has a broken ribs and clavicle. She has a referral from the ED to an orthopedic dr. Today they tell me she cannot go to the ortho dr, because the nursing home is on lockdown due to Covid.
Is this correct?

MJ1929 Sep 2021
She can certainly go to her appointment; she just won't be allowed back in. There's nothing to be done for ribs, and a clavicle would only warrant a sling which I assume she got in the ER.

JoAnn29 Sep 2021
Call APS and see what they say. Maybe the NH will just have to quarantine her when she returns.

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Gracie61 Sep 2021
Check the rules at your states health and human services website. Even on lockdown, mom was allowed to go to "essential" appointments. Essential was determined by the health poa for the person. I even got occasional outdoor patio visits with mom by declaring them Essential. ( the whole window or plexiglass thing was upsetting and freaked her out)

The exception would be if she had covid symptoms.

againx100 Sep 2021
My MILs place is just coming out of lockdown. It's so stupidly annoying. These residents need health care that the nursing home doc can not provide. These residents also need support and love from their families so the visitation restrictions are very hurtful.

As someone mentioned, there may not be much to do re broken ribs and clavicle. Maybe telemed where ortho can weigh in on xrays and such that ER must have done?

lealonnie1 Sep 2021
Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of the nursing home's rules. Nothing we on a chat site can tell you will change what the admins at the SNF have to say on the matter!

My mother has had numerous falls over the years resulting in broken rib & sternum bones and nothing was done to remedy the situation. Those bones tend to heal on their own, although a clavicle fracture may require a sling. And pain meds to manage the discomfort of both. I remember my mother asking for the Icy Hot patches a LOT during the times she had those fractured bones from the falls.

Wishing you the best of luck with a tough situation. These lockdowns have gotten to the point of insanity, imo.

Grandma1954 Sep 2021
Entirely possible
And it is also possible that the doctors office is requesting that appointments for "Nursing Home" residents be rescheduled. I saw this very request on my doctors office door just yesterday. And it was not even just residents, if you had visited someone in a Skilled Nursing Facility they request that you reschedule your appointment.

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