Dear Sir,
In response to ‘Pensioner Pen Pal’ letter by Pam Lovelass in 30th October edition of the Newton News, I think this is an excellent idea.
When I visited my sister in her care home, prior to this current blight on all our lives, it was evident that some residents had few, if any, regular visitors. As a regular visitor I, and many like me, would not only be watching out for the welfare of our own loved ones but also have a chat, give a hug, to other residents we became fond of. After eight long months of not seeing family, friends or volunteer visitors from the local community, all those living in care must be feeling very frightened and lonely.
This is why I wrote to you several weeks ago about the campaign group, Rights For Residents, https://www.rightsforresidents.co.uk
We, as a group and individually, are lobbying the Government, not only on behalf of our own loved ones but for every care home resident throughout the country whose voices can’t be heard. The Government claim that visiting restrictions are for the “protection” of residents, but offer no guidelines to protect them from the devastating deterioration in their mental and physical health resulting from this deprivation of liberty.
Those in care homes and other care settings have been denied any meaningful contact with their loved ones since the pandemic struck at the beginning of March 2020. We want the Government to find a more humane and nuanced solution that balances the risk of contracting Covid-19 against the devastating mental and physical deterioration we are witnessing in our loved ones. As winter is upon us, and with the latest lockdown coming into force, the situation is becoming ever more urgent. The ‘Care Home Visiting Pilot Scheme’ being mooted by the Government is simply not a solution for those for whom time is already running out. The government could end this suffering immediately by taking four clear actions:
1 – Produce clear guidelines encouraging care homes and local authorities to find safe ways for relatives to visit their loved ones, rather than encourage blanket bans.
2 – Grant key worker status to relatives with access to the same testing regime as care staff, in order to facilitate safe indoor visiting. Relatives are not simply ‘visitors’ they are an integral part in the well-being and support of their relatives who, for various reasons, have to live in care homes.
3 – Indemnify care providers against the possibility of being sued if the virus is brought into a care home. Remove the burden of responsibility from individual care home managers to decide on visiting policies as they are frozen rigid by the fear of litigation.
4 – Produce a plan that protects people from dying of loneliness and isolation.
I have been in touch with our own MP, Paul Howell, several times over the past few months, both to draw his attention to this campaign and also to highlight to him the particular problems this deprivation is having on the health and well-being of my relative in care.
Mr Howell has responded positively each time offering his support, sadly the same cannot be said of the DCC Director of Health who has failed to respond to any of my correspondence.
So please take up Pam’s idea of dropping a note to those who have no family or friends, to think about them during these months of isolation – maybe also consider joining the Right For Residents campaign on their behalf and help restore the basic human rights of those in care to see their friends and family whilst still keeping them safe.
Margaret Davison
For more details about becoming a Pensioner Pen Pal, contact Pam Lovelass: Email: pamlovelass@gmail.com
Telephone: 01325 316841
