Care home in full lockdown

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
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Feeling very sad today. I had a call from my husband’s care home, they are stopping all visiting for 14 days as they’ve got four residents who have tested positive for COVID. It’s my husbands birthday on Wednesday, and our 47th wedding anniversary the following week. I spent ages negotiating with the home to take him out for an hour on his birthday, just to get some fresh air. I feel totally cut off from his life now. Sometimes coping with these emotions is just too much. It’s not helped by seeing crowds at sporting events etc. , and hearing people moaning about not being able to have a holiday abroad.
 

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
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Talk about bad timing @None the Wiser !

I can only imagine how upset and frustrated you’re feeling. I hope you can make up for it with a good celebration later on.
Thank you @Bunpoots. I know Care homes want to keep residents safe, but I don’t think that I am much of a risk compared to care staff, office staff, maintenance staff, and outside professionals who come and go. I’m double vaccinated. I suspect some of the younger care staff aren’t vaccinated and have busy social and personal lives. The residents who’ve tested positive have been isolated. Surely I can continue to meet my husband twice a week in the Day Care Centre as I have been doing for the last three months. With the lifting of restrictions the experts are expecting a considerable rise in cases. Does this mean the care home will be back in full lockdown all summer and autumn as transmission increases? There must be another way.
 

Lone Wolf

Registered User
Sep 20, 2020
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There can never ever ever be any justification for keeping care home residents with dementia separated from at least one essential family visitor.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
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South coast
Its actually pretty standard for care homes to go into lockdown if there is an outbreak of some infectious bug, Mum was in a care home pre covid, but each year there would be something like novovirus, or a bout of D&V that meant that the care home went into lockdown for a couple of weeks or so
 

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
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I think standard practice needs to be reviewed in the light of COVID. I can envisage a situation over the next few months where the home is in permanent lockdown as the virus isn’t yet under control. When will it be recognized that people with dementia are slowly, but surely dying and time for us relatives is very precious.
 

Tonywin

Registered User
Jul 10, 2021
11
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Feeling very sad today. I had a call from my husband’s care home, they are stopping all visiting for 14 days as they’ve got four residents who have tested positive for COVID. It’s my husbands birthday on Wednesday, and our 47th wedding anniversary the following week. I spent ages negotiating with the home to take him out for an hour on his birthday, just to get some fresh air. I feel totally cut off from his life now. Sometimes coping with these emotions is just too much. It’s not helped by seeing crowds at sporting events etc. , and hearing people moaning about not being able to have a holiday abroad.
That's so sad.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,455
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Kent
I`m so sorry for you @None the Wiser

It was difficult enough during the general lockdown but to have the care home allowing visits and then having to lockdown again is painful.

Please accept a virtual bouquet for your anniversary.
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Sirena

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
2,324
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I think standard practice needs to be reviewed in the light of COVID. I can envisage a situation over the next few months where the home is in permanent lockdown as the virus isn’t yet under control. When will it be recognized that people with dementia are slowly, but surely dying and time for us relatives is very precious.
I'm so sorry you aren't able to be with your husband on his birthday. I know what you mean about being cut off from his life.

I agree that it is hard to see an end to care home restrictions, the residents are double vaccinated, I am double vaccinated, and yet it has made no difference to the visiting rules.

My mother has been in her care home over 3 years and they have never 'shut down' for any other illness.
 

Exning

Registered User
Aug 26, 2018
57
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The whole approach to risk is just wrong.
If a home has 4 residents with Covid then someone brought it in.
Its actually going to be more likely that people are going to be Covid positive with the surge in cases.
But just stand back and look at the real risks involved.
It can be very bad and can of course lead to hospitalisation and death but with people double vaccinated the risk is radically reduced for all age groups.
Double vaccination provides over 85 % protection from symtomatic covid.
The risk of hospitalisation is further reduced by 40%
We are not going to return to the days when we lacked the protection of the vaccine.
I do not want care homes to be treated as hospitals with mask and PPE. Yes there is a risk but life is a risk and in the very elderly there is perhaps something more important about the quality of your twilight years than their legth.
Of course people who know they have Covid shoud isolate but once tested free what is wrong with return and why do homes have to shut down for 14 days even if it is a staff member, who isolates, and home testing reveals no cases.
 

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
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Thank you @Exning, that’s exactly what I think. It’s so hard having no control over this situation. I follow John’s Campaign’ and ‘Unlock Care Homes’ on Facebook, but it seems impossible to get those who have the control to rethink their visiting policies now that we are vaccinated. It is so very frustrating., and feels very cruel and unfair.
 

Exning

Registered User
Aug 26, 2018
57
0
Just read the updated guidance issued 16 July.......what a joke.....
There is no drive to normalise care homes just a dreadful defensive approach to eliminate the possibility of case in care homes.
If we are being told that we have to live with Covid as a manageable problem in the community then the approach in homes should be the same.
 

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
0
Got ready this morning ( including doing a lateral flow test) to visit my husband after his care home has been locked down for two weeks. 20mins before planned leaving time as, visit was booked, I had a call from the home saying that they were closing again for a further 2 weeks as a member of staff had tested positive for COVID. I’m just devastated. Through my tears I did get to speak to the deputy manager to express my concern that this is likely to continue in this way for the foreseeable future and into the autumn and winter. I got no helpful answers. I will apply for Essential Care Giver status, but really want the care home to review their policy. Ive had no sight of the policy, and no reply from an email I sent on Friday asking for clarity about what is happening.
I feel completely cut off from my husband. My husband’s home is, I suspect, heavily reliant on agency staff, many of whom probably aren’t vaccinated. This certainly won’t be helping the situation.
I have printed off the GOV.UK summary of guidance for visitors. For a start there needs to be a change of vocabulary. I don’t consider myself to be a visitor! Once regarded as ‘visitors‘ it allows us to be treated in a particular way.
I just want to scream. I feel so helpless.
 

None the Wiser

Registered User
Feb 3, 2020
248
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It is a never ending outrage but nobody seems to care except those directly That
That is how it feels. So, having been told that I can’t visit today, and made a ’fuss’ because I was so upset, I’ve now had an email from the manager to say that as it is one member of staff, whose tested positive, and not considered an outbreak I can visit provided it is booked in advance, is just for an hour, in the day Centre, and wearing full PPE, no touching etc. I’m relieved, but fed up that I’ve had to make a fuss to get this concession, and now I’ve missed my appointment, and have to make another. I’m so sorry to rant, but as you’ve said ‘nobody seems to care except those directly affected’. Thanks for listening.