With concerns over the spread of illness, local long-term care facilities are heeding the advice of Gov. Andy Beshear to limit visitors in an effort to protect the health of the elderly and those at greater risk of viral complications.

FILE PHOTO/The Kentucky Standard A middle school student paints with a resident at a local senior living facility. Visits from schools and even from family members have been limited or temporarily halted at long-term care facilities across the state and country in an effort to prevent the spread of illness to elderly populations.

The Lincoln Trail District Health Department sent out a letter Tuesday to local care centers informing administrators of those facilities that the Kentucky Department for Public Health is recommending they limit visitation to only those whose loved ones are “receiving end-of-life care.”

Keri Legg, executive director and administrator for Windsor Gardens Senior Living in Bardstown, said as of the shift change early Wednesday morning a full shut-down of all non-essential visitors had been initiated.

“Only medical personnel are allowed to enter, we are not letting any other visitors in unless there’s an emergency,” Legg said, adding that those who are allowed in must also take extra precaution to disinfect any equipment or supplies they bring with them.

Officials with the Life Care Center of Bardstown and Signature HealthCARE said similar protocols were also in place there, with regular visiting hours suspended and only essential visitors and staff allowed.

Center outings and events, such as visits from preschool students or even residents’ routine (non-emergency) doctor visits, have been canceled or rescheduled. Other measures, as recommended by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, are also in place, including checking the temperatures of any employees or visitors before they are granted entry.

“All staff come through one door and we do a temperature check,” Legg said. “Anything within the threshold of 100 degrees or greater and we immediately send them home. If it is close to that, we will question them to see how they have felt in the past 48 hours and take those necessary precautions.”

Legg said staff is working to disinfect any supplies dropped off by resident family members, as well as disinfecting common areas, door handles and other items more often.

“We are doing normal, common sense things such as proper hand-washing,” hand sanitizer stations and in the dining room, changing from cloth napkins to paper napkins.

Legg said her center is monitoring the situation day-by-day and, come Monday, they plan to reassess the risk and adjust visitation limits as needed.

For any visitors that are granted entry to long-term care facilities, state health officials are recommending they be escorted to and from the resident’s room. Visitors who appear at the facility with a temperature higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and showing signs of respiratory infection or who have traveled outside of the country or who have come in contact with someone with or under investigation for COVID-19 should be advised to seek medical attention. Any visitor denied entry to a facility to see a loved one should have access to a phone so they can speak with the resident.

The Lincoln Trail District Health Department has “strongly encouraged” care facilities in its district to follow the guidance outlined by the Kentucky Department for Public Health to protect residents, patients and the general public. Those with concerns about visitation to long-term care facilities can contact the Office of Inspector General at (502) 564-2888.

In addition to the recommendation for care facilities, Beshear also issued an emergency waiver for pharmacists to fill non-controlled medications for up to 30-day supply without the need for a doctor’s prescription if the person is in self-quarantine.

Protecting the health of the elderly was one of a few topics on which Beshear touched last week during updates on public health, geared mainly toward concern over the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. Beshear also recommended closing state prisons to visitors, suspending on-campus instruction for schools, recommended churches cancel weekend services, asking the public to limit or stop out of state travel, and encouraging social distancing, on top of practicing good hygiene and other measures to prevent the spread of illness.

While the public attention has been on COVID-19, the practices being encouraged across the state and country will also help address the spread of other illnesses, such as the flu, which has affected more than 22,000 Kentuckians this season and has resulted in 85 deaths in the state.

“I think we should be just as cautious about the flu as the coronavirus,” Legg said, sharing her personal opinion on the matter. But she also added that COVID-19 appears to be more detrimental to affected elderly populations and that, combined with the delay at which an infected person can show symptoms, is reason enough to be proactive.

As of press time at least 10 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Kentucky. Nationwide, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 1,600 with around 41 deaths. Those affected in Kentucky range in age from 27 to 69. No cases have been reported thus far in the Lincoln Trail District, which includes Nelson County, though public health is being monitored closely.