ROANOKE, Va. Visitors at a Roanoke senior facility are now able to see and touch their loved ones. This takes a toll on all of us, said Brandon Oaks executive director Esteban Duran-Ballen. They came to see Doris Light, who is Horaces wife of 60 years and Dianes mother. You dont realize when youre apart like that this much, how much you miss the other person, Horace added. Brandon Oaks is already planning to construct another coronavirus-safe vestibule at their assisted living facility across Route 11.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke nursing home built a safe way for family members to connect with their loved ones. On Tuesday, the Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center debuted its family visitation booth. “Our staff came together and worked with our maintenance department to utilize a structure we already had and transformed it into a place where residents and families can visit with each other and actually hold hands and hug each other safely with the glove attachment,” said Esteban Duran-Ballen, Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehab Center Administrator. Rhonda McGlothlin had the opportunity to visit her mother, Peggy, using the booth. “We schedule the visits in 20 minute increments with time to clean and change the gloves in between visits.”