Can an ALF refuse entry to a physical therapist because the facility has a flu outbreak?

Yes.

Met, check your states health department regulations. It may be a law. You should be able to find out from the facility. Or google quarantine assisted living communities in your state. I just checked my state and there are laws in place for assisted living facilities related to when quarantine is required.

The residents have private rooms (more like apartments). She is not one of the residents who has the flu. They have cancelled all social activities and asked all residents to stay in their rooms. Meals are being brought to each individual. The therapy company has no problem visiting her & the session would be in her room so there is really no risk to my mom, other residents or the therapist.

I have looked through the paperwork & can't find anything addressing quarantine protocols.

I understand the need to lock down to contain an outbreak, but some places take it to ridiculous extremes. If a visitor or therapist is restricted to one room and follow basic hand sanitizing protocols there is little danger of them spreading germs, imo the real danger comes from staff.

Met, it is common practice in elder communities to lock down when there is an outbreak of any kind. The facility has a good idea what it is and how to contain it. Allowing others in only increases the liklihood of some other flu strain or illness to be brought in to the elderly population that are very susceptible to picking up any sort of infection. They are trying to protect your mom and the other residents.

How is quarantine addressed in the application and paperwork for admission that were signed? I suspect there's a provision providing that the facility can restrict access in the event of medical necessity.

I think I would be glad they're being proactive in trying to contain the outbreak.

Something similar happened at the last rehab facility my mother was in. When Dad visited her on Sat. afternoon and I arrived just before he left, we both observed that the roommate was coughing extensively, a very wet and aggressive cough. The next day Dad became ill, I had to take him to the ER, and I became ill as well, both with similar type coughs.

I learned later that the coughing woman had been moved to isolation, but not before Dad and I both got sick. I got a bad sore throat as well, and had no health insurance at that time. Mom died Sunday morning. Was it from something she caught from the cougher? We'll never know, but Mom wasn't walking and had no hope for recovery at that time. She had that 1000 yard stare so in retrospect, he death then wasn't unexpected. She just gave up.

The facility should have acted sooner, but we were still in the infancy of learning nursing home protocols and I didn't think to alert any of the staff. Mea culpa.

I see nothing wrong with an assisted living facility, or any facility in fact, not allowing anyone from the outside to come in due to a flu outbreak. It's just common sense to contain it.

So your Mom misses a week or two of physical therapy, there are worse things to worry about.