ORLANDO, Fla. — COVID-19 is now blamed for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, but Florida families say something indirectly related to the pandemic is also endangering their loved one’s lives. They say despite the state lifting a ban on visitation of residents in care facilities last fall, they’re still restricted in how much they can see their family members — and they want state leaders to change that.

What You Need To Know

  •  In-person visits at Florida nursing homes and other long-term care facilities is restricted due to COVID-19

  •  Opponents of the restrictions say isolation is also detrimental to the health of their loved ones

  • Now that vaccinations have become more widespread, some family members say they should be able to visit more often

Darlene Hilkert checks in on her mom over the phone as often as she can. But she says in-person visits are hard to come by.

“I love my mom very much and I want to spend more time with her - it’s as simple as that – we love each other and want to be together,” said Hilkert.

Her mother had to go into a long-term care facility right before the pandemic began.

But she says even after the state lifted a coronavirus-prompted ban on visitation at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities last fall, in-person visits are limited.

“We have to have appointments, we don’t get to come on nights or weekends, we do not get to touch each other,” said Hilkert.

Hilkert and hundreds of other family members across the state are now pushing state leaders and agencies to do more to force care facilities to allow them more physical access to their loved ones. A few put up signs in an Orlando park on Tuesday, each sign saying “Isolation Kills Too” and representing a family member they’d wish they could see – or could’ve seen more.

Linda Warren’s father died just a few days ago – just a few months away from turning 100.

“Just the very few things we were able to do before COVID that made a lot of difference in his quality of life, I think that would’ve allowed him to get to 100,” said Warren.

“But after he sunk into a depression and had kind of a break with reality cognitively and emotionally, he just never wanted to get to 100 again.”

“You’re limited with any family members and you’re limited with the time you can spend with them,” said Marjorie Heitzhaus, Hilkert’s mother.

Hilkert believes since she and her mother are now both fully vaccinated, her mother’s care facility should allow families like theirs more visits.

“Precious time that we are losing with our loved ones on a daily basis,” said Hilkert.

Spectrum News 13 reached out to Governor Ron DeSantis’ office as well as the Agency for Health Care Administration. ACHA responded back with a statement saying while they remain focused on protecting care facility staff and residents from COVID-19, they also continue to urge those facilities to make sure visitors can provide residents with the emotional support they need if visitation requirements are being met. ACHA also said families can reach out to them with complaints by contacting the Agency’s Complaint Administration Unit at 1-888-419-3456 or by filing a complaint online via their Licensed Health Care Facility Complaint Form at https://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/hcfc/.