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05
Oct 2020
Harrogate care worker says visiting restrictions essential to protect residents
A care worker has said she backs measures to restrict visitors to care homes in the Harrogate district as they put the health of residents first.
Cheryl Allan, a care supervisor at a care home in Harrogate, said while she understands the concerns of relatives, limiting the spread of covid 19 among vulnerable people was vital.
North Yorkshire County Council introduced a seven-day restriction on visitors in September, before announcing it would be extended for the whole of October.
Mrs Allan said:
Mrs Allan said the residents were good at supporting each other, along with the staff ensuring they stayed positive and did not feel lonely.
Like many care homes, Mrs Allan said the residential home where she works - which she asked us not to name - has been using technology to enable residents to video call their families while they could not meet in person.
Read more:
- Care home visits in district may be allowed after October
- Allow care home visits, says Andrew Jones MP
Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said care homes should be allowed visitors who can see relatives through a pane of glass. While one daughter of a patient with dementia told the Stray Ferret this can cause extra distress, Mrs Allen said it was a positive experience for some of the people she worked with.
One resident was able to speak to her daughter on the phone while waving through the windows, which she said benefitted both. For residents who are less confident with technology, Mrs Allan said this offered a good alternative.
However, she said suggestions of nominating one relative for each resident, offering them a weekly test and enabling them to visit would be impractical.
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