Son fears he may not see mother again

Man tells of anguish over window visits policy

A distraught son fears he may not see his mother alive again after he was suddenly told he cannot visit her at her window in a council-run care home.

Ian Simpson, whose 90-year-old mother is a resident at Dundee’s Menzieshill House, was able to organise window visits up until two weeks ago.

In line with care homes across the country, the council-run home has limited each resident to just one allocated visitor once per week – meaning only Ian’s brother will be allowed access.

It follows Scottish Government guidance mapping out a staged approach to visiting in homes.

However, Ian says there is “no logic” to the policy and questioned why a caring society would “unnecessarily” prevent loved ones from seeing each other.

He said: “As far as I understand, this virus cannot get through glass so what’s the risk?

“Policy is meant to be shaped on science but I can’t understand this.

“I just want to see her. It doesn’t make sense. If she was admitted to hospital I could visit her fine.

“Anything could happen to her in the next few weeks and I’m scared I might not get the chance to see her again.”

Scottish Government guidance on visits published on June 25 states the “individual views and needs of each resident” must be considered and policies should be “person-centred”.

It also states “blanket” policies for all care homes, or all residents with particular characteristics, “must be avoided”.

Dundee City Council say the rules have been put in place to protect residents.

Ian’s mother is also hard of hearing, making telephone conversations extremely difficult.

He says she is often left confused and asks why he is not visiting her any more.

He said: “It’s really upsetting. There’s no common sense. She keeps asking why I am not visiting and it’s so hard to explain.

“We moved her to Menzieshill House about a month ago and she was allowed window visits. It was the same at the home she was in before during the pandemic. Nobody has engaged with us as part of the apparent person-centred approach.

“I think authorities are so scared to put a foot wrong now. It’s not the fault of the staff – they’re just following orders.

“It’s a backward step. We saw people visiting loved ones at windows all through the pandemic.”

A Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership Spokesperson said: “We are working with the Scottish Government, NHS Tayside and Health Protection Teams to ensure the safety of all our residents and staff during this difficult time.

“Visits to care homes will need to be managed in order to minimise the risk of infection, for the safety of all our residents, their visitors and our staff, and to give extra protection to residents who are shielding.

“In line with current Scottish Government guidance, only essential visits and garden visits with one key designated visitor are permitted to take place at this time.