Jo contacted our office after she was denied essential visitor status at her mother, Jenny’s, long-term care home. She was told by the facility that they were not allowing essential visitors and when she complained to the Patient Care Quality Office she was told she didn’t qualify. Confused and feeling like she was being treated unfairly, Jo asked us to investigate.

We reviewed the Ministry of Health’s Essential Visits Policy as well as the facility’s approach to visitors. We learned that while social visits and end of life visits were allowed, essential visits were not. To better understand the application of the policy at the facility, we met with Fraser Health representatives and learned that the facility had focused on social and virtual visits for the 100 residents who lived there, but essential visits had not been occurring.

In reviewing the Essential Visits Policy, we noted that residents could be assisted with a range of care needs including feeding, mobility and communications assistance and we asked the facility to review which residents might need this type of assistance. Through the course of the facility’s review, 25 residents who would benefit from essential visits were identified, including Jo’s mom, and these visits were introduced.