Surely we have to move forward,My mum is in Assisted Living, individual flats in a building. She has dementia. Lockdown happened on the 17th March, from visiting every day to nothing was awful for her and for me. About a week later, one person in the building had a cough so the communal lounge was then shut. I was able to visit my poor Mum in June, alloted 45 minutes in the garden, by which time it was so long since she'd been out she just felt cold and I don't think recognised me anymore.
On the 3rd July I got a call to say she was going to hospital. I wasn't allowed to visit for 48 hrs. Then by appointment I was able to visit her there. I know she was ill (very anaemic needing 5 pints of blood) but she just looked uncared for, her hair was long, fingernails long. ( no hairdressing, no chiropodist and carers are not allowed to cut nails. usually something which I do for her.)
She went home from hospital a week later and I booked to see her on Monday only to be told when I rang to see what shopping she needed actually I couldn't visit, even in the garden, as she was now she is in isolation for two weeks because she's been in hospital. This only frustrated me more as Agency Staff are being employed again, the whole idea of them not being employed whilst locked down was to stop cross contamination
How much more are these poor elderly people going to have to go through. If they can't be supported by loved ones when they need them most , what is the point. The future on the other side of this is bleak for them. I understand that the care staff need to be kept safe too, but some decisions really need to be made now.
It's now just depressing.