Joy as John, 104, and daughter are finally reunited
IT has been three long months since they last met face to face.
And for 104-year-old care home resident John ‘Hasie’ Young, the joy was obvious as he beamed at seeing his daughter for the first time since lockdown was imposed.
The Scots RAF lieutenant, from Beith, Ayrshire, is one of the 339 residents cared for across Scotland by veterans charity Erskine.
He enjoyed a tearful reunion with daughter Fiona Armstrong, 70, at its home in Renfrewshire.
Mr Young was one of thousands of care home residents who got to see loved ones again following the relaxing of restrictions.
Mrs Armstrong, of Helensburgh, Argyll, said: ‘I had butterflies in my stomach, I was so excited to see Dad and he was so excited to see me. I stood up and clapped when he came in. It was absolutely great to see him and to see him looking so well.’
Mr Young, who beat Covid-19, said: ‘It was quite a thrill. But I was disappointed that I didn’t see sufficiently. The conditions aren’t ideal.’
Mrs Armstrong added: ‘It was so hard not being a bit nearer him, especially when he’s so deaf so he couldn’t really hear me, but he looked great and he was smiling.
‘He was happy to see me and he knew I was there. The first thing he said was, “I can’t hear you or see you but I know you’re there”.’
Erskine, which suffered 34 Covidrelated deaths, has built gazebos at its four homes to allow its residents to meet family.
Derek Barron, director of care at Erskine, said: ‘For the last 112 days the staff have been the residents’ families, at least in terms of being the people they see every day. We have had Zoom calls set up with residents but while it is a brilliant alternative to seeing family, it is not a replacement for the real thing, so there has been a real joyous atmosphere in the home since the announcement.’
Mr Barron said that because of high winds yesterday, most of the visits had to take place in the home’s courtyard.
He added: ‘My window backs onto the yard and I could hear residents laughing all day, there were a few tears as well.’
Robert Kilgour, executive chairman of care home group Renaissance Care, which has 15 nursing homes around Scotland, said visits will begin on Monday.
He said: ‘These visits will be just what our residents need to raise their morale after many weeks of isolation and of not being able to see their children and grandchildren face to face.
‘We are all very excited to welcome them back. Monday will be the start of the slow and careful journey to our new normality.’
‘Seeing her was quite a thrill’