Husband and wife in care home reunited with their daughter after 5 months
A HUSBAND and wife from a Grimsby care home have been reunited with their daughter for the first time in five months as the easing of Covid-19 restrictions began.
From yesterday, care home visits from a nominated friend or relative is permitted in England for the first time in months, but hugging and kissing residents is still off limits. Every care home resident will be able to nominate someone to visit them indoors, while the guidance also allows residents with the highest care needs can receive more frequent visits from a loved one.
Michael Fisher, 83, and Pamela Fisher, 78, were reunited with their daughter Elizabeth Fisher-Hales, 43, in joyous scenes.
The pair have both survived coronavirus after contracting the disease in November. Elizabeth said: “They both caught Covid in November. I hadn’t had contact with them since October so when they said they’ve both got Covid, they’re both ill, we thought that might be it.
“To be able to come and visit today is amazing. We’ve had a window visit at Christmas, waving through the window. We’ve done video calls and phone calls but with my Dad’s dementia and my Mum’s Alzheimer’s, that is quite difficult at times.”
The Grimsby Telegraph was able to talk to the family through the front porch of the care home from a safe distance.
Elizabeth was able to hold the hands of her parents through PPE after months of separation.
Michael told the Grimsby Telegraph: “We’ve come through to the other side a lot better than most people I think.
“We pulled through it despite getting the virus, we’ve done well really - we thought we might be stuck with it.
“We owe so much to the staff here who have been amazing throughout.” Elizabeth agreed, she said: “The staff have been absolutely brilliant keeping us updated through social media and phone calls about how my parents were doing and what they’d been up to. “They have been an absolute lifeline for the relatives of everyone at the care home all the way through the last lockdown.” It is around a year since care homes first closed their doors with some doing so several weeks ahead of the first lockdown on March 23, 2020. Visiting guidelines have changed several times over the past year and opportunities have varied across the country with local lockdowns meaning certain areas have gone longer without visiting options.
Some indoor visits resumed in December as rapid-result tests were rolled out to care homes but this was not permitted during the current lockdown.
Elizabeth said the last few months had been particularly hard for her as she had only recently taken the decision to move both of her parents to the care home and then was almost instantly separated from close contact. She said: “Having only just moved Mum and Dad here and then with restrictions and with them both being ill, you’re thinking - ‘have I done the right thing?’
“We did feel guilty but then to see them both now and to hear how happy they have been here and that they do feel safe, it does make it all worth it.”
Pamela said she now felt safe in the home, she said: “I’d had so many falls at home that I knew most of the ambulance drivers by their Christian name.”
All three family members were overwhelmed to be reunited and proud that they had come through one of the most difficult times. Michael said: “We’ve been through a rough time recently and I think we’ve all done so well to be here to talk about it.”
Elizabeth said: “It just means the world to be able to be actually here with them and to hold their hands, it is all we’ve been looking forward to for so long and I’m just glad we’ve managed it.”
Pamela said: “It is such a happy occasion, I’ve been so excited about it and it is lovely to be able to be here.”
We owe so much to the staff here who have been amazing throughout
Elizabeth Fisher-Hales