Texas saw several new laws go into effect on September 1, 2021. These laws had a wide range in the areas they touched on, but we wanted to highlight the parts that were specific to the assisted living and nursing home industry.
SB 25
This was one of three pandemic related bills that Governor Abbott signed. This bill, “requires nursing homes and assisted living centers to allow families to designate an essential caregiver”. So, what does that mean? The person that you or your family designate as the essential caregiver will be allowed to have in-person visits with your loved one even during a pandemic.
The person that is selected as the essential caregiver doesn’t necessarily have to meet any caregiver qualifications for the designation to be made. There is also an allowance for nursing homes and long-term care facilities to be allowed to petition the HHSC to suspend essential caregiver visits. They would have to provide reasoning for why that caregiver poses a serious community health risk for the suspension to be considered though.
SB 930
This has less of a direct effect on you as a caregiver or your loved one that could be a resident of a nursing home or assisted living facility. It is more about the data being provided to the general public and transparency around infectious disease outbreaks that occur at these facilities. This aims force local and state health agencies to release that information and data of the facility and the number of residents diagnosed.
While this data won’t have an immediate effect on you, it will allow Senior Living Specialists to get a better idea of which facilities seem to be handling disease outbreaks better or worse than others. We can then pass on that knowledge to you as the caregiver trying to make a care selection for your loved one.