"She has two daughters and there's a number of grandchildren in the area so we’re all really keen to get back to see her and, I think most importantly, she really needs to see family."
Sarah Robinson from Wexford explains how difficult it has been for her grandmother Clare Walsh since December when she had to go into a nursing home following an accident and has not been able to see any of her family members, in the flesh, since then.
The news this evening that restrictions on visits to nursing homes will be eased later this month has been welcomed by many, particularly given how difficult it has been since Level Five restrictions were reintroduced in late December.
"Our understanding at the time was that no visits would be allowed and certainly that’s how the nursing home interpreted the guidelines at that time, so we haven’t had any window visits or sighting of her, other than video calls, since December," Sarah Robinson said.
"My primary concern is my grandmother and for her it’s been really, really challenging. She lost loads of weight, she stopped eating at one point. She doesn’t feel like she lives in Wexford, she thinks she’s somewhere else, and I think she feels abandoned by us and so it’s been really challenging for her.
"She turned 95 which is a massive milestone, without being able to see any of us, and we’ve been really worried about her declining health, and mental health."
Ms Robinson said she welcomed the easing of visitor restrictions, but said there had been some confusion in recent weeks in relation to the current measures.
"The national guidelines for residents in long-term care facilities have consistently allowed window visits because they don’t pose any public health risk and they have also allowed compassionate visits on a number of different reasons, not just end of life."
Ms Robinson said she and her family have been "deeply concerned" about her grandmother, particularly because of not being able to visit her, "and we hope that these guidelines will be fully implemented and that supports will be put in place for nursing homes to enable families to connect with their loved ones, and for residents to have the right to family life".
Her grandmother’s nursing home is resuming window and "pod" visits this Friday, she said, and the family hopes that in the coming weeks "that we’ll have more consistent access to her and that nursing homes will permit risk-free visits like visits outside and window visits".
