‘The news breaks my heart ... I feel safest in my own room’
MARY Leahy remembered her growing terror as she watched television reports on the rising coronavirus death toll in the early weeks of the pandemic.
She preferred to stay in her room at Bramleigh Lodge nursing home in Cahir, Co Tipperary, as the daily news outlined how older people were faring worse than others in the battle with Covid-19.
Sitting in her wheelchair in a suntrap in the central courtyard of the nursing home last Friday, she was relaxed as she spoke of her gratitude that she was living in “a beautiful place”.
“I was terrified at first by the news of the virus. I realised there was no point in getting anxious and I ask God to give me strength,” said the 69-year-old grandmother.
A visit by the Sunday Independent to meet Mary and other residents was far from simple because of strict procedures being operated by management and staff at the home. They made it clear that this reporter and photographer Gerry Mooney would have to work under very stringent health and safety protocols to ensure the safety of residents and staff. The home has successfully been kept safe from Covid-19.
There is a Portakabin installed at the front door of the single-storey complex and all staff are required to change their clothing for anti-contamination purposes each time they come and go.
Both visitors from the Sunday Independent underwent temperature checks and had to answer a series of questions about our current health status. A full outfit of personal protective equipment was handed to this reporter to wear. Gerry came with his own PPE, donning a white full-body hooded outfit that made him look like a forensic investigator from an episode of CSI.
It was only when we were fully briefed on the strict social distancing rules that we were allowed to proceed to limited locations within the home.
Mary was waiting for us in the sun-filled courtyard at the centre of the building. She is from Tipperary Town and has spent the last two and a half years at Bramleigh Lodge. She loves the place.
Mary spoke of being confined to a wheelchair with arthritis and epilepsy. She recalled how she had fallen from the rear platform of a Dublin double-decker bus in 1970 at the age of 19. Her head struck the pavement in the fall and she ended up with a clot on the brain. She spent two years in hospital.
The tight restrictions in operation at the nursing home did not pose any significant problems and Mary fully understood that families could not be allowed into the home at the present time.
“I feel safest when I’m in my own room. I love knitting. I am so glad that I have been able to knit and I’m happy to stay in my room much of the time,” she said.
She was glad to help charities with her knitting and she welcomed the chance to knit for family and friends. But the nightly news bulletins on the numbers of people lost to Covid “breaks my heart”, Mary said.
Inside a communal room, John Arrigan (85), from New Burgess in Cahir, extended a warm welcome and said he had spent his life in farming and in business before moving into Bramleigh Lodge two years ago.
He left school at 13 to work on his family’s farm and later set up an oil distribution company, Cahir Oil Products.
He missed being able to have visitors but he accepted the rules as entirely necessary to keep everyone safe.
“At first, I wasn’t worried about the virus but then I began to see reports on how it was developing in the country and I got worried,” he said.
“But I don’t believe in blaming people as it was completely unknown. I think the Government has handled the situation fairly well.”
He believed mistakes were made at early stages of the pandemic when officials said strict no-visiting rules in some nursing homes were premature. “Of course mistakes were made. But how could you get through something as massive as this problem without making some mistakes?” John said.
He was “very impressed” with Health Minister Simon Harris’s performance. However, he was less impressed with some of the top health officials’ appearances on television as he believed it’s possible they “took their eye off the ball” when they initially spoke out against tough restrictions on visitors to nursing homes.
John believed the planned easing of restrictions in Ireland will need constant vigilance by officials and adherence to regulations. “You can’t be taking any chances,” he said, but added that he was glad the nation was “pulling together”.
Director of nursing, Resmi Rajan (37), said there will be no relaxation in the home’s restrictions in the near future.
She said there are still “distressing” delays in the virustesting system for healthcare workers. One of her healthcare staff was informed she would get her test results back within 48 hours.
After 10 days, she was still waiting and she continued to self-isolate. Another staff member was still waiting for results after five days.
Resmi said Bramleigh Lodge was divided into two cocooning units with two separate staff teams so that if the virus was ever detected in one unit, the other unit would be protected.
She said the mental health of people with dementia was being safeguarded by bringing them for escorted visits to communal areas to maintain social distancing.
Owners Brendan and Laura Myers said they took action quickly to protect residents at the early stages of the pandemic. The Government subsidies to help nursing homes fight the virus were “very welcome”.
Brendan was concerned about the five-step ‘unlocking’ of the country. “People generally will potentially become more casual and, for nursing homes, the risk of infection coming in might go up in the short term.
“As the country unwinds, people already seem to be running ahead of the process, which causes concern about community transmission,” he said.
Also sitting in the sundrenched courtyard was Joseph Darcy, a 64-year-old father-of-five who uses an oxygen bottle to help with COPD breathing difficulties.
“I was frightened by the news about this virus at the beginning but I’m in good hands here which helps me stay positive. But I worry about people around the country who are going against the regulations,” he said.
“There are people going around in groups and socialising far too close together. These people can carry the disease to others. I’m in favour of relaxing restrictions but people must continue to keep their distance from others for all our sakes.”