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One charity has called it “heartbreaking” that nursing home residents over 65 are not allowed to reunite with loved ones at Christmas, despite easing of restrictions during the holiday period.
Families will be able to reunite when the measures are temporarily relaxed from December 23 to 27, allowing three households to form a “Christmas bubble.”
But the government’s guide to nursing homes in England says that outside visits should only be considered for residents of working age, due to the increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
Gavin Terry, director of policy for the Alzheimer’s Society, said thousands of family members would be “completely desperate” for the guidelines and called for a nationwide display of visits to “keep the Christmas spirit alive.”
“After eight harrowing months filled with devastation and tragic loss of life, the announcement that many nursing home residents will face Christmas alone is simply heartbreaking,” he said.
“Every day we hear from families who would give anything to see their loved ones, and we know that there will be thousands of people in complete despair over this announcement.
“We have to end people with dementia tragically dying of loneliness and we urgently need to see a nationwide rollout of tests and nursing home visits to keep the Christmas spirit alive for people with dementia.”
According to the Christmas guide, some residents may leave their nursing home and form a bubble of support with another household.
“Spending time with others outside of the nursing home will increase the risk of exposure to coronavirus for the resident and other residents in their home upon return, and is likely to place an additional burden on the nursing home,” says the guide. .
“Given this, visits outside of nursing homes should only be considered for nursing home residents of working age.
“Residents, their families and nursing homes should carefully consider whether this is the right thing to do or whether visiting the nursing home would provide meaningful contact in a safer way.”
It says that if a resident joins a home for Christmas, they should maintain social distancing, wash their hands regularly, and open windows and doors to let in fresh air.
Meanwhile, others in the household must recognize that “introducing the coronavirus into a nursing home puts everyone who lives and works there at risk” and take the necessary steps to prevent it.
All members of the bubble should minimize contact in the two weeks before the resident joins the bubble, and should talk with the nursing home about the possibility of getting tested, according to the guide.
It says the resident will need to be screened and isolated to safely return to the nursing home, and more guidelines will be released shortly.
The government has promised that family members of nursing home residents in England will be able to hug their loved ones if they test negative for the coronavirus and wear protective gear.
The government said it is committed to providing tests twice a week to a maximum of two visitors before Christmas, the nursing home staff will receive tests twice a week by the end of December and the tests of residents will be increased to once. per week.
