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Caregiving experts have criticized the government’s new guidance on visiting loved ones in nursing homes, saying it will “literally leave people out in the cold.”
As of Thursday, so-called “ad-hoc” visits will not be allowed during the coronavirus pandemic, but the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that nursing homes “will be encouraged and supported to provide safe visitation opportunities.”
He also approved window visits, “where the visitor does not need to enter the residence or where the visitor remains in his car and the resident is socially estranged.”
Care experts say the measures ‘will literally leave people out in the cold’
The National Care Forum (NCF) has acknowledged the “sentiment” of the measures, but said it was important for the government to understand “how vital” it is to visit the “hundreds of thousands of people who live in residences,” and how. ” heartbreaking “is being separated from family and friends.
“In a time of national blockade it is a positive step that the government has not completely blocked visitors, “said Vic Rayner, executive director of the NCF.
“However, warm words will not escape the fact that these arrangements, without urgent support, will literally leave many in the cold.”
He also called on the government to “urgently clarify” what the agreements mean in practice, and said additional financial support and practical security measures are also needed.
The NCF said the short-term updates meant that nursing homes, many of which were in areas where local health authorities had banned visits for months, had less than 12 hours to prepare.
“For this to be a reality, counseling must be practical, supportive, resourceful, and facilitate meaningful visits that family members and residents can benefit from and that nursing homes can provide,” continued Ms. Rayner.
The government has said that more substantial plans are currently being developed to allow specific family and friends to visit nursing homes supported by a testing program, although trials would not begin until later this month.
“Nursing homes must feel empowered by this new guide to seek safe options to allow nursing home visits that are tailored to their residents and facilities,” said the Secretary of Health Matt hancock said.
“We’ve seen some really innovative solutions being used to help families see each other safely, face to face, which has changed the lives of some.
“It is vital that high-quality, compassionate care and infection control remain at the heart of every nursing home to protect the lives of staff and residents, but we must allow families to come together in the safest way possible. “.
But the Alzheimer’s Society has said the guide “completely misses the point” for those with the disease and their families.
The guide says the measures could include designated visitor areas with floor-to-ceiling screens and separate entrances, and outdoor gatherings with another person.
Kate Lee, executive director of the charity, said people with Alzheimer’s “will not understand and will be distressed by what is going on around them.”
She said: “The prison-style screens that the government is proposing, with people talking on the phone, are downright ridiculous when you consider that someone with advanced dementia can often be bedridden and have difficulty speaking.”
“Aside from the naive assumption that nursing homes have the resource, the space and the time to build these displays, anguished families will read this news and despair.”
On Wednesday, a woman was arrested after trying to get her 97-year-old mother out of a nursing home to close it.
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Registered nurse Ylenia angeliThe 73-year-old wanted to take care of her mother, who has dementia, at home. But when she told the facility staff, they called the police, who then briefly arrested Ms. Angeli.
The video shows her handcuffed inside a police car, while her elderly mother sits in the front of the family car.
The family has not been able to see their elderly relative for nine months and decided to act before the second national shutdown.
Ms. Angeli was taken to the Hull Police Station before being “released” and released without charge.
