Heavy wait: Three months and counting since family visits at DSSLC - Denton Record Chronicle

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Denton State Supported Living Center residents have had no family visits for three months.

Stephanie Kirby is losing hope. At the time, she received the memo about possible exceptions for certain visits, she said. She immediately reached out to the center’s social worker. She expected any process the center implemented would be involved. But she wanted it in place for her son, Petre, who doesn’t understand what’s happening in virtual visits.

No process was ever established for her.

“The day after [that memo], we were told no exceptions — except end of life,” Kirby said.

“That’s even worse, to be told that you will only see your child if they are dying.”

Angela Biggs’ daughter, Amber, can talk on the telephone for brief visits, but it’s getting more difficult to keep asking her to wait.

“I keep telling Amber, ‘Be patient, keep waiting, be nice, I’ll see you soon,’” Biggs said. “Even though I understand, it’s getting harder for me, too. I do keep my promises to her.”

Denton County Probate Judge Bonnie Robinson supervises hundreds of guardianships in place at the center through her court, as well as guardians for individuals living in area nursing homes who need them. Many of the guardians are watching over people with complicated medical conditions, too, Robison said.

The court staff’s work has changed a lot since the pandemic began, Robison said.

“We’re all learning to live in another world,” she said.

She hasn’t heard complaints from guardians unable to fulfill their duties. In addition, she’s aware guardians are holding virtual meetings and visits at the Denton State Supported Living Center, and that has worked, at least so far.

Bonnie Robison

Her court also has received some new applications for guardianship, driven by concerns of the pandemic, she said. One guardianship case required an in-person visit to a nursing home.

She didn’t want either the court staff, the guardian ad litem or any one in the nursing home to see an increased risk from that visit.

“We checked with the nursing home, and they made an accommodation to bring the person out of their room and into a room that was accessible from the outside,” Robison said. “It was a situation that we wanted to have that firsthand knowledge. To do that, you are incurring the risk. But we couldn’t get the info we need through video.”

Robison asked her staff this week to look further into the situation, she said.

Kirby’s guardianship is supervised by the Collin County probate judge. She called to express her concerns about the continuing lockout, but she hasn’t heard back.

According to documents obtained by the Denton Record-Chronicle, state officials know parents and guardians are asking for in-person visits.

Texas Health and Human Services Associate Commissioner Scott Schalchlin, who oversees all 13 of the state’s centers, declined an interview request. A spokeswoman asked the newspaper to email questions to the agency. The newspaper restated its request for an interview and refused to submit questions by email.

Texas state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said in a prepared statement that, while she didn’t have a timeline when in-person visits could resume, state officials at the highest level were working on the matter.

“I know how much families want to visit their loved ones, and I am working with the Governor and state health officials to develop the right protocols to ensure the safety of these fragile residents and their families when visitation resumes,” Nelson said.

Kirby hasn’t heard anything that has given her confidence she would be able to see Petre any time soon.

“If they would just give us the road map back, or the plan,” Kirby said. “We’ve not one sentence of hope or information. Not one single answer.”

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