SYLVANIA, Ohio — Many seniors living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities have received the COVID vaccine here in Ohio. But one family is speaking out on social media -- saying it hasn't changed much about getting to see their loved ones.
Matt Simpson made this post on Facebook, adding he believes the isolation and loneliness from quarantining and restricting visits is doing more harm to his dad than the virus.
"He feels as though the whole family has just deserted him," he said.
Roger Simpson is 88 years old and has lived at Charter Senior Living of Oak Openings for the last two years. A barber for 50 years, a longtime soccer coach and pillar of the community, he suffers from dementia. Matt says the pandemic has really taken a toll on his mental health, saying he looks forward most to going to bed.
"Window visits and visits through plexiglass, they're just not the same," Matt said.
Matt praised Charter for doing a great job of keeping his dad safe. But he believed when the vaccine came, things would change. His dad has received both doses now and nothing has changed.
Matt hasn't visited his dad in his room face to face since last March. He says new indoor visitation rules will start soon but it will be behind plexiglass for 30 minutes just once a week. And no kids are allowed, so his grandchildren can't visit.
"My dad calls me daily and sometimes crying saying 'you don't know how lonely it is in here'," Matt said. "We just want to spend time with our dad. We don't have a lot of time left."
Matt is frustrated with Charter's quarantine rules. He says his dad can leave for a doctor's visit and does not have to quarantine. But if he leaves for any other reason, such as to have dinner with Matt and his family, he has to quarantine for 14 days.
We reached out to Charter and they said in a statement:
"As a result of our diligence, we are proud to say we have had only 3 positive COVID resident cases in the past eleven months. We have been able to successfully prevent the spread each time by adhering to these guidelines in coordination with our own internal infection control protocols.We understand how challenging it has been for our residents and their families."
We checked the Ohio Department of Health's latest COVID-19 order for visiting nursing homes and there is nothing that requires a 14-day quarantine unless you test positive. Lucas County health commissioner Eric Zgodzinski says each facility can choose how cautious they want to be.
But Matt is worried that the restrictions are doing more harm than good.
"We need to be cautious and not scared," he said. "And to be so scared that we can't even live our lives and spend time with our father who is in his final years is just ridiculous."