Calls to loosen visitor restrictions in hospitals grow as vaccinations rise
With vaccination rates rising every day in Ontario, some people are calling for hospitals to loosen visitor rules, saying it could have a huge impact for everyone.
Blythe McKay just recently spent 12 days alone in the hospital.
“I didn’t realize how much having my husband and my mom there helped, until I had to go it alone,” says McKay. “I’ve had several hospitalizations as a result of Crohn’s disease. And this was particularly striking on how different it was.”
She says not being able to have visitors is hard on her mental and physical health.
“I just found out that I’m likely going to have to have surgery in a few months,” says McKay. “And I really hope that things change because I feel that my recovery will definitely be assisted by having my husband be able to be with me.”
Time for a change, Toronto doc says
For the past 16 months, hospitals have been limiting visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at the Michael Garron hospital in Toronto, says it’s time for a change.
“We need to update our visitor policies. We need to open hospitals up,” says Warner. “We’re now in the vaccine era. Most patients, health care workers and visitors are vaccinated. It’s a completely different situation.”
Warner says the benefits can have a positive impact on patient recovery.
“It’s much better for patients,” says Warner. “They have an advocate with them. Someone who can listen to the doctors and nurses and take notes. Someone who can provide care when there's no one to provide care for them.”
Slow return for visitors to Ottawa Hospital
The Ottawa Hospital says they are slowly letting visitors back.
“The Ottawa Hospital recently moved into intermediate visitor restrictions, which means that the hospital can welcome a maximum of one scheduled visitor per patient per day.”
They add, “We will continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation in our community and make adjustments to visitor restrictions as necessary.”
Jennifer Zelmer, CEO of Healthcare Excellence Canada, a company that focuses on improving healthcare for everyone in Canada, adds that visitors help patients in a variety of ways.
“There’s psychological benefits obviously. But there’s also very practical benefits in terms of care delivery,” says Zelmer. “We know that having essential care partners does things like reducing the risk of falls and improves continuity of care, because you’ve got more than one person listening to what happens after you leave the hospital. Or (care partners) can help bring important information to the clinical care team and to clinical care.”
Not only does allowing visitors benefit the current patients, Dr. Warner says it can also help those who might need medical treatment moving forward.
“I think people are more likely to come to the hospital if they know they won't be alone,” says Warner. “Which will limit the amount of late presentation disease that we’re seeing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Economists say temporary tax cut, relief cheques play into rosier growth picture
The federal government's 'meaty' move to pause federal sales tax on a long list of items and send cheques to millions of Canadians this spring could factor into an improving outlook for growth in 2025, economists say.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Bears find a buffet of battlefield rations at Alaska military base
Hungry bears broke into a storage room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in this U.S. to feast on the military rations.
Alliston, Ont., students invited to showcase goalie robot at world's largest tech trade show
A group of high school students from Alliston, Ont., have garnered international attention after being invited to showcase their work on a global stage.
More than 70K Murphy beds recalled across Canada, U.S. over tipping concerns
A popular series of Murphy beds that had been sold online is under a recall in Canada and the U.S. after several reported instances of the furniture detaching from walls.
Second Australian teen dies in tainted alcohol case in Laos that has killed 6 tourists
A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.
No evidence linking Modi to criminal activity in Canada: national security adviser
A senior official says the Canadian government is not aware of any evidence linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to alleged criminal activity perpetrated by Indian agents on Canadian soil.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.