Covid: Care home visits return brings joy and fear

The daughter of a care home resident in north Wales has said it will be "such a boost" to see her family again after nearly a year.

Sharon Jones said her mother Edith, who turns 90 on Sunday, has struggled with her mental health, which she fears could have a lasting impact.

The Welsh Government is expected to allow indoor care home visits from 13 March.

One designated visitor could be allowed per patient.

The government has been working with local authorities, Public Health Wales and care home representatives to examine the matter, said deputy health minister Julie Morgan.

"We're doing it carefully and cautiously but we're very anxious that indoor visiting should be resumed because with many residents and their families there hasn't been any contact face-to-face for a long time," she said.

The ban on care home visits has come under fire in recent weeks, with some families saying it was "cruelty".

Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast Sharon Jones, from Llangollen, explained what having the opportunity to see her mother Edith Davies again would mean for both of them.

"I can't believe it, to be honest with you. I'm really just quite emotional all over again, about the prospect," she said.

Ms Davies and her brother last saw their mother in August, but have not had actual contact with her for almost a year.

"I totally understand what's being said, that the fact that Covid hasn't gone away is very, very true. But we'd have to try and get back to some sort of normality," she said.

"The mental health of people who have been separated for over 12 months, it's been very hard, and I think it will take some time for us all to get over."

She added said she was also concerned about the toll the lack of contact had taken on her mother.

"Mum has been very, very low - depressed, confused, and frequently saying that she wishes she wasn't on this earth anymore, which, to hear on the other end of Facetime is very, very hard to deal with."

Glyn Williams, who owns Gwyddfor Residential Homes in Bodedern on Anglesey, said he understands how families have felt over the ban on visits.

But staff at care homes are "simply terrified", he said, amid concerns a vaccine-resistant variant of the virus could appear.

"Everyone wants to be able to open, we all want to go back to the parties that we used to have... we all really want to get back to that," he said.

"This is very welcome news from the Welsh Government, but Covid hasn't gone away. This has to be done in a very cautious manner."

He added his staff are getting tested for Covid several times a week, and this is available to visitors. The home has also invested in "visitor pods".

"But the downside of that is, of course, is that if a visitor tests positive, and has been in the home, then the home is closed down again, for 20 days - which means that residents have then got to be in their rooms again for another 20 days.

"We've got new variants coming out. The biggest concern - the biggest variant of concern - is the one we haven't seen yet. If we get a new variant that is resistant to the vaccine to come into the home, then we're in a terrible place again."