99-year-old great-grandmother feels like 'a prisoner' in Leeds care home: Daughter urges Government to ease visiting restrictions

Linda Barley of Kippax said family members could not hug mum Frances Heaton on her 99th birthday during a tearful socially distanced outdoor visit to the care home in March.

Retired primary school teacher Mrs Barley, 71, said the prospect of not being able to celebrate her mother's 100th birthday with her is unthinkable.

Mrs Barley said she has recently tested negative for coronavirus and wants to be included in regular testing along with carers so she can visit her mother inside the home.

Mrs Heaton - a widow who has three children, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren - has been in the home for around a year.

Mrs Barley said her mother, a retired civil servant, does not have memory problems and uses an ipad to surf the internet, FaceTime her family and play word games online.

Mrs Barley said: "She is well cared for and has no complaints about the home.

"When she first went in we saw her on a regular basis and so did her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"She joined in all the family get togethers, parties and meals out. I took her out for coffees and to go shopping."

Mrs Barley said the first lockdown in March happened two weeks before a planned party on her mother's 99th birthday.

Instead, family members had to wear PPI and stay six foot away from her during an outdoor visit to the home.

Mrs Barley said: "It was horrendous. Everybody was trying to be happy, but we were all in tears. Mum was upset as well.

Mrs Barley said she was allowed some indoor visits over the summer, but only because her mother was seriously ill with heart problems.

Mrs Barley said: "The carers are tested now on a weekly basis. I couldn't go and visit even though I tested negative. They have a hairdresser who goes in who has a Covid test, it is so unfair.

"My mum is 99, how are we going to celebrate her 100th birthday? We haven't got time to wait, it's so sad.

"After seeing them on FaceTime she has said 'haven't the great-grandchildren grown?' It is just so sad that she is missing all this time with them."

She added: "In over seven months she has had no meaningful contact with loved ones. She says she is treated worse than a prisoner, they get visitors and outdoor exercise.

"Infection prevention and control should not exclude care and compassion."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know limiting visits in care homes has been incredibly difficult for many families, but our first priority remains the prevention of infections to protect the lives of vulnerable residents.

“We have introduced tightened infection prevention and control measures to enable visits to continue safely where possible, but have had to limit visiting in all but exceptional circumstances for areas with high rates of infection.”

Mrs Barley said she is supporting www.rightsforresidents.co.uk, which is backing a petition on change.org, which has been signed by more than 180,000 people.

The petition, which is calling for the government to ease care home visiting restrictions and enable family members to have access to regular testing, can be found at https://www.change.org/p/please-let-me-see-my-family-before-it-s-too-late