I can’t bear to see my nan just fade away without us
A 100-year-old great-great-grandmother has said she “just wants to die” after enduring eight months of care home isolation. Doreen Tilly was “full of life” at the beginning of lockdown when she celebrated her birthday.
But photos provided by her family show the heartbreaking deterioration in the centenarian since March when visiting was severely restricted. Great-granddaughter Sonia Dixon, 37, said: “The difference in my nan is just devastating to see. Before, she was full of life and thrived on regular visits from her family.
“While she has outl ived her own two chi ldren, she has eight grandchildren, 16 greatgrandchildren and eight greatgreat-grandchildren who almost all live in the area. Before lockdown, FED UP Pensioner Doreen people would be up to see her all the time and she loved it – it gave her something to live for.
“I just want her out of the home now. I can’t bear for this to go on any longer. I’m watching her fade away with the loneliness – she has told me she just wants to die during the outdoor visits that I have been allowed.
“She has become really down and has been prescribed anti- depressants for the first time in her life at 100 years old. People in care homes should have legal rights to see their families properly and I’d support any move to make it happen.”
Retired pub manager Doreen is a resident at care firm HC-One’s Woodside Court Care Home in Glenrothes, Fife.
Mum-of-one Sonia, a business studies student, added: “There has been some indoor visiting introduced at Nan’s home but we were given a choice between very limited indoor visits for one person or more outdoortd visitsiit whereh diffdifferent t people could attend. In the end, we had to go with the outdoor socially distanced visits so Nan could see all of her family.
“For someone who is 100, surely it should be up to them how much they see family members. The home say they are just following the rules but, between them and the Scottish Government, they need to get this sorted out.”
HC- One said: “Our caring colleagues know every resident in our homes and many relatives. They understand how important visiting is and how difficult it is for all those who have missed out on precious moments over recent months.
“While this is a challenging time for everyone, we must all work together to protect residents. With safety at the forefront of everything we do, a very difficult balancing act needs to be achieved which considers the health and wellbeing of all residents and the threat of coronavirus.”