Great again To visit you mother . . .
MARIA Spencer says putting her mum in a care home was the worst day of her life.
Pat, 83, has Alzheimer’s Disease and needs care which is best given in a home – but that didn’t make things any easier.
She moved to live at EachStep care home, in Blackley, on January 13, 2020.
Little did Maria know that the following months would bring further separation as lockdowns and local coronavirus restrictions prevented the mother and daughter from meeting.
During periods of slightly looser restriction, Maria visited her mum in the garden through window visits.
But struggling to communicate using a phone through a window has been incredibly tough.
Looking back on her last visit inside the home, in March last year, Maria says she remembers it ‘as clear as day.’
She says: “At that stage we had no idea what the next 10 months would hold. We had a lovely chat and there were lots of other families there too. It felt normal and right.
“I’m lucky that I have total faith in the home, which is exceptional, and its staff. But the reality of standing outside on a phone is that it’s often dark, cold and wet and difficult to hear – and even though I was so glad to be able to see her I always left feeling sad.
“That has an effect on my kids too. Previously they could be in the home and everyone made a fuss of them too as part of the visit.
“They loved it and it gave them a lift while they missed their grandma.”
At Christmas, things changed. After months of only being able to see and hear loved ones through windows, visitors can see their loved ones inside their care homes.
After two negative swab tests, Maria was finally able to see her mum inside the home. She was allowed to enter and use a special pod to meet her mum. She says she was ‘over the moon.’ She says: “My Mum will be 84 in January - and I know time isn’t on my side.
“I can’t tell you how much I want to go to Greggs, buy her cakes and get some tea and sit down with her again.
“Safety of course, is a huge issue for everyone. But quality of life also counts.
“I don’t want to feel like being on the other side of a barricade looking in. And more than that, I’d get to hear her laugh again.”
To visit a relative in a care home, people need to book in for a swab test three days before their planned visit by going online or ringing 119.
If negative they can take the result to the home on the day of the visit and take a Lateral Flow Test – also a swab test. Results arrive within 30 minutes.
Cllr Bev Craig, executive member for adult, health and wellbeing at Manchester council, welcomed the news that testing will allow safe visits.
“That physical divide from loved ones has been torture for many people and there is now a way to change that.
“To families eager to visit I would say that the detail and all the safety mechanisms are there to help everyone – and we must protect from that physical risk while having that much wanted and highly emotional reunion.’’
Cllr Craig added: “Until the vaccination has been rolled out, we must all still play our part.”