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Heartbreaking moment dementia-hit mother, 85, breaks down in tears at window of her care home after being told her daughter can't give her a hug due to Covid restrictions

This is the heartbreaking moment a dementia-hit mother breaks down in tears at the window of her care home after being told her daughter cannot give her a hug due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Footage shows Doreen Morris, 85, with a big smile on her face after spotting Tracy Gothard, 51, outside her nursing home in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The great-great-grandmother asks Tracy to come inside and motions with her hands, to which her daughter replies: 'I can't come in, we're not allowed yet because of that nasty bug'.

Tracy then asks her mother to 'blow her a kiss' but the pensioner instead breaks down in tears. 

The first introduction of draconian social-distancing rules left countless numbers of the nation's most vulnerable isolated for months on end. 

More than 20,000 care home residents died from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic and official figures show the number of people dying from the virus in English facilities doubled in a fortnight in October.

Experts say the decision to discharge thousands of untested hospital patients into care homes at the peak of the spring crisis was partly to blame.

Last month it was revealed that health bosses are pursuing the same policy, in an attempt to free up NHS beds to protect the health service from being overwhelmed this winter. 

Footage shows Doreen with a big smile on her face after spotting Tracy outside her care homeThe great-great-grandmother is then told that her daughter cannot come inside due to Covid-19 restrictions

Footage shows Doreen Morris, 85, with a smile on her face after spotting Tracy Gothard, 51, outside her care home, before she is told her daughter cannot come inside

The window meeting between Tracy and Doreen, who has been at the home two years, was their first one since August, when Bradford was placed under tier three restrictions.   

Mother-of-two Tracy said she has released the video in an attempt to try and change the 'unhealthy' rules around care home visits.

She added: 'When my mum comes out she just wants to hug me and put her arms around me, and I want to do the same.

'Because of her dementia she doesn't understand why we can't, which is what you can see in the video - she wants me to go inside.

'It's heartbreaking to see her react like that, I feel exactly the same as her as well, I want to go in and give her a cuddle.'

Anna Selby, Head of the Covid-19 Taskforce at Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare, told MailOnline: 'The video is utterly heartbreaking to see. 

'As care providers, most of our attention has been focused on preventing the virus from entering our care homes, however, the effects of these measures are becoming increasingly clear - as shown in this video. 

'Limiting contact between residents and their loved ones has taken a huge toll on the physical and mental health of all involved. 

'At our Sunrise and Gracewell homes, we fully recognise the emotional strain this pandemic has caused and we have implemented a series of "safe visits" protocols, which allow residents to see their families in a safe and controlled way. 

'We've already seen many benefits.'

Tracy said: 'My mum had a life before all this, she would go out all the time, she would dance, see family and have a good time, now all that is gone.

'She is like a prisoner in her own home.' 

Doreen pictured above with her daughter Tracy, who said she has released the video in an attempt to try and change the 'unhealthy' rules around care home visits

Doreen pictured above with her daughter Tracy, who said she has released the video in an attempt to try and change the 'unhealthy' rules around care home visits

Tracy said of her mother (above): 'She had a life before all this, she would go out all the time, she would dance, see family and have a good time, now all that is gone'

Tracy said of her mother : 'She had a life before all this, she would go out all the time, she would dance, see family and have a good time, now all that is gone'

The 51-year-old filmed the clip outside Bierley Court Care Home on October 29. 

Psychotherapist Emma Kenney, who is co-founder of Recovery, a group calling for a 'balanced approach' to lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions, also told MailOnline: 'This footage is horrific, heartbreaking, unnecessary and clearly demonstrating the impact of restricting families from one another.

'It should tell anybody looking at it a serious message, which is you no longer have the right to your own family. That to me is scary.

'When you have dementia, keeping consistent connections and close bonds with people who support you is so important, they are your lifeline and keep you going.

'Without that it becomes more likely that the degeneration of the brain will be sped up exponentially and that's happening on both those levels with the promotion of loneliness, confusion and a sense of abandonment.'

She added: 'If they want to test the whole of Liverpool, why can't the Government test individuals in care homes?'

The Government announced on Wednesday that care home visits must take place outside or through a window or screen during England's second coronavirus lockdown.

'Ad hoc' in-person visits will not be allowed but homes will still be able to find alternative ways for relatives to meet up with residents. 

Commenting on the regulations, Director of Clinical Services at Dementia UK, Paul Edwards, said: 'The new guidance for allowing visitors to friends and family in care homes falls very far short of what we, and families, have been calling for. 

'Suggesting that people communicate through phones and full-length screens is not only impractical for many care homes but fails to consider the particular needs and challenges faced by people with dementia.

'Many families have seen their loved ones rapidly deteriorate over the course of the pandemic - and others have not been able to visit or speak with their relatives at all. 

'Families need to be given guidance on ways to visit their relatives, or to receive continuous updates on their relatives and the steps being taken until such time as those visits can be put in place.'

He added: 'Families visiting care homes do more than just visit; they provide care and respite for their relatives. They need to be able to go inside and touch their relatives, if possible, to provide reassurance, mental stimulation and affection. 

'People with dementia can deteriorate significantly if not. We are calling on the Government to revise these guidelines, providing tests for staff, residents and families as a priority. 

'Families have waited far too long for this to happen and in a condition as progressive as dementia, they do not have time to wait.'

In its guidance, issued less than 12 hours before new lockdown measures are introduced, the Department of Health suggested that homes could set up designated visitor 'pods' with screens, host visits through windows at a distance, or allow one-on-one meetings outdoors. 

Failing that, it said, they should try to encourage more virtual visits.

Tracy said she 'loves' the home itself and the staff there but there is a 'problem with the system'. 

She added: 'I want to be able to go in to my mum's home and show her that I haven't forgotten about her, that I still love her.' 

Tracy described her mother (pictured above) as a 'fun-loving person' and a 'party animal', adding: 'She loves getting out and about and enjoying herself'

Tracy described her mother (pictured above) as a 'fun-loving person' and a 'party animal', adding: 'She loves getting out and about and enjoying herself'

Her proposal is to have at least one family member tested for the virus and, if negative would then be permitted entry to the home to see their loved one.

Tracy said: 'I think that is the best way around this, we need to start seeing our elderly people again one way or another. 

'If workers at these care homes can have a test then enter then I don't see why I can't too. I understand safety is paramount but we need to strike a balance at the same time.

'My mum is deteriorating quickly, she's very depressed and anxious over what's going on, although she doesn't fully understand why.'

Tracy said she supports the Rights for Residents campaign, which is seeking to allow care home residents visits with their families.

She added that she initially shot the video to send to family so they could see Doreen, but decided to share it after seeing her mother's response. 

Tracy, who works in customer service for Yorkshire Water, said pre-Covid she would visit her mother, whose husband Danny died 10 years ago, every day.

Retired cleaner Doreen, who was diagnosed with dementia around 12 years ago, has seven grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren.

Tracy said: 'She's such a fun-loving person, she loves to get up and have a dance, she's a little party animal really.

'She loves getting out and about and enjoying herself.'

After the first lockdown they were allowed garden visits but since August she has only been able to see Doreen from the car park of the care home and in video calls.

Tracy said: 'We now face another lockdown so who knows when we will be able to see each other properly again.

'Something needs to change.'

Care home visits must be OUTSIDE or through a window during England's second coronavirus lockdown, Government says

Care home visits must take place outside or through a window or screen during England's second coronavirus lockdown, the Government said on Wednesday.

'Ad hoc' in-person visits will not be allowed but homes will still be able to find alternative ways for relatives to meet up with residents.

During the first wave in the spring, visits had to be banned completely because the virus was ravaging the care sector and officials feared they could not be safely organised.

Drive-through visits at care homes were permitted at some locations for part of the first lockdown (pictured: A visit taking place at a home in Banbury, Oxfordshire)

Drive-through visits at care homes were permitted at some locations for part of the first lockdown (pictured: A visit taking place at a home in Banbury, Oxfordshire)

Care organisations and Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, have campaigned for visits to continue to be allowed during the second lockdown to avoid leaving residents isolated.

In its guidance, issued less than 12 hours before new lockdown measures are introduced, the Department of Health suggested that homes could set up designated visitor 'pods' with screens, host visits through windows at a distance, or allow one-on-one meetings outdoors. 

Failing that, it said, they should try to encourage more virtual visits.

But critics said the rules 'miss the point' and would not work well for people with dementia, who make up a majority of care home residents and of whom many would not understand or cope with the rules.

Outdoor visits will be out of the question for most as the autumn weather turns, with rain and plummeting temperatures now the norm across the country.

Martin Green, chair of Care England, said it was disappointing that a better policy had not been devised during the months since the first lockdown.

He said: 'We are really upset that a proper policy has not been published in time when a second lockdown was always on the cards.' 

Our toxic future: Visitors are forced to touch their elderly care home relatives through a glass screen with bio-secure 'hugging mitts'

Visitors are forced to touch their elderly care home relatives through Covid-secure 'hugging mitts' as the UK enters its second lockdown. 

A Sheffield care home has told loved ones to place their arms through the over-sized black gloves - more commonly seen in research labs - to hold hands with residents on the other side of a glass screen.

The affect of the UK's second lockdown on pensioners' mental health has become a topic of great concern as the country sees a second wave of the virus.

The first introduction of draconian social-distancing rules left countless numbers of the nation's most vulnerable isolated for months on end.

And ahead of the November 5 restrictions, Health Secretary Matt Hancock was warned that banning care home visits again would breach 'fundamental human rights'.

But concerns about isolation are mirrored by an increased virus risk. 

Elderly people in a Sheffield care home have been provided with lab-style hugging sleeves so they can embrace their loved ones during the UK's second lockdown. Pictured: 94-year-old resident Eve using the 'visiting nook'

Elderly people in a Sheffield care home have been provided with lab-style hugging sleeves so they can embrace their loved ones during the UK's second lockdown. Pictured: 94-year-old resident Eve using the 'visiting nook'

Pictures taken inside Hallamshire Care Home show residents - many of whom are in their 90s - smiling as they greet their visitors. Pictured: Mary, 98, greeting a loved one

Pictures taken inside Hallamshire Care Home show residents - many of whom are in their 90s - smiling as they greet their visitors. Pictured: Mary, 98, greeting a loved one

More than 20,000 care home residents died from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic and official figures show the number of people dying from Covid in English facilities doubled in a fortnight in October.

Experts say the decision to discharge thousands of untested hospital patients into care homes at the peak of the spring crisis was partly to blame.

And last month it was revealed health bosses are pursuing the same catastrophic policy again, in an attempt to free up NHS beds to protect the health service from being overwhelmed this winter. 

The gloves are similar to those commonly seen at research labs - such as in this clinical virology laboratory in Tunisia

The gloves are similar to those commonly seen at research labs - such as in this clinical virology laboratory in Tunisia

Staff at Hallamshire Care Home created a cold weather-friendly 'visiting nook'. Pictured: Mary, 98, being greeted by a loved one

Staff at Hallamshire Care Home created a cold weather-friendly 'visiting nook'. Pictured: Mary, 98, being greeted by a loved one

In a bid to tackle concerns about isolation in a safe way, staff at Hallamshire Care Home created a cold weather-friendly 'visiting nook'. 

Care home manager Scott Melville said their 'hugging mits' have enabled residents to touch family members for the first time in months, transforming visits into 'special events'.

The 44-year-old said the space, which was opened last Friday, has been hailed a 'fantastic idea' as the absence of physical contact is something everybody's 'really been missing'.

Pictures taken inside the home show residents - many of whom are in their 90s - smiling as they greet their visitors.

Mr Melville - who's been the manager for 13 years and lives in Sheffield - said: 'It's been so well received by all the residents and their families - they can actually touch again and hold hands.

'It's going beyond touching a window or through plastic, they're actually able to sit and safely hold hands with loved ones that they haven't been able to for six, seven, eight or nine months.

'Contact is the most important thing, especially with loved ones - it's what's been really missing throughout care homes in recent months.

'As much as our residents have different forms of dementia, they can still recognise or have some emotional reaction to touch, a cuddle or a handhold.

'When that comes from someone that they may not initially recognise, but the emotion is still inside them, you can see the look on their faces that it means something.'  

Hallamshire Care Home initially erected Covid-secure visiting gazebos where residents and visitors were separated by a window panel, but built their 'nook' to enable visits to continue throughout the winter months.

Visitors wear disposable gloves inside their mitts, and 30 minutes or more is allowed in between each slot to thoroughly steam sanitise the 'nook' ahead of the next visitor.

Mr Melville said: 'The idea for the gloves came from a relative because in the gazebos she said 'it was nice, you could feel the warmth of their hands through the plastic'.

Care home manager Scott Melville said their 'hugging mits' have enabled residents to touch family members for the first time in months, transforming visits into 'special events'. Pictured: Valeria, 84, using the 'nook'

Care home manager Scott Melville said their 'hugging mits' have enabled residents to touch family members for the first time in months, transforming visits into 'special events'. Pictured: Valeria, 84, using the 'nook'

Visitors at a Sheffield care home have to place their arms through the over-sized black gloves (pictured) - more commonly seen in research labs - to hold hands with their loved ones on the other side of a glass screen

Visitors at a Sheffield care home have to place their arms through the over-sized black gloves - more commonly seen in research labs - to hold hands with their loved ones on the other side of a glass screen

The space, which was opened last Friday, has been hailed a 'fantastic idea' as the absence of physical contact is something everybody's 'really been missing'. Pictured: 84-year-old Valerie holding hands with a loved one

The space, which was opened last Friday, has been hailed a 'fantastic idea' as the absence of physical contact is something everybody's 'really been missing'. Pictured: 84-year-old Valerie holding hands with a loved one

Visitors wear disposable gloves inside their mitts (pictured), and 30 minutes or more is allowed in between each slot to thoroughly steam sanitise the 'nook' ahead of the next visitor

Visitors wear disposable gloves inside their mitts , and 30 minutes or more is allowed in between each slot to thoroughly steam sanitise the 'nook' ahead of the next visitor

Hallamshire Care Home (pictured) initially erected Covid-secure visiting gazebos where residents and visitors were separated by a window panel, but built their 'nook' to enable visits to continue throughout the winter months

Hallamshire Care Home initially erected Covid-secure visiting gazebos where residents and visitors were separated by a window panel, but built their 'nook' to enable visits to continue throughout the winter months

'I was sitting at home that night thinking we're building this nook, let's incorporate an actual ability to hold hands.

'They've been able to sit and meet through the gazebo, but actually being able to physically hold hands with your mother, wife or husband is something they've not been able to do for so long.

'That's the bit that makes a huge difference, which takes it from a visit to an actual special event.' 

Care organisations and Sir Keir Starmer - the leader of the Labour Party - have campaigned for visits to continue to be allowed during the second lockdown to avoid leaving residents isolated.

In Government guidance, issued less than 12 hours before new lockdown measures were introduced, the Department of Health suggested that homes could set up designated visitor 'pods' with screens, host visits through windows at a distance, or allow one-on-one meetings outdoors. 

Failing that, it said, they should try to encourage more virtual visits.

But critics said the rules 'miss the point' and would not work well for people with dementia, who make up a majority of care home residents and of whom many would not understand or cope with the rules.

Outdoor visits will be out of the question for most as the autumn weather turns, with rain and plummeting temperatures now the norm across the country.

Martin Green, chair of Care England, said it was disappointing that a better policy had not been devised during the months since the first lockdown.

He said: 'We are really upset that a proper policy has not been published in time when a second lockdown was always on the cards.'

In October it was revealed that a third of people living in care homes in England haven't had a coronavirus test in a month despite the Government's pledge to run regular testing.

Out of 32,000 residents quizzed on whether they had been tested within the last 30 days, only 62 per cent said they had.

Officials said they would test all people living in care homes at least once a month to stop the virus breaking out among the people most at risk of dying of Covid-19.

At least 100,000 tests per day have been ring-fenced for the purpose and staff are also tested regularly to try and keep tabs on the virus.

A survey by the Data Analysis Bureau, however, found that one in three residents have not been tested.

Testing in the homes appeared to hit its highest point in June, when the UK's outbreak was tailing off, but has plummeted now that the testing system is under pressure from the thousands of members of the public being tested each day.

The researchers said care residents will 'remain at risk' until there is regular, reliable testing available to them. 

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