A CONSERVATIVE MP wants to see a change in care home isolation rules after a member of his family was confined to her room for five weeks.
Wantage MP David Johnston raised in parliament his concerns over the physical and mental health of care home resident who have to isolate for long periods of time.
Addressing Health Secretary Sajid Javid he said: “I have a number of constituents who haven’t seen their relatives in care homes for considerable time.
“I have a member of my own family who can have a visitor but has been confined to her small room for coming up five weeks now because every time there’s a case anywhere everybody is kept in their rooms.”
Mr Johnston told the Oxford Mail he has a family member in a care home outside of the constituency.
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He said: "Every time there is a Covid case in the care home she can’t go outside, she can’t use the communal areas, so effectively she is just lying there or sitting there and that is just not good for people’s physical and mental health."
He added: “On the one hand you do not want them to catch Covid, but on the other hand, a lot of them are close to the end of their lives and you don’t want them to not see their families or be active either."
Last week the Prime Minister said he planned to bring in revised guidelines for care homes.
Members of the Wantage constituency have contacted Mr Johnston with their first-hand experience of dealing with care home rules during Covid.
Anne Walters lives in Wallingford and her 93-year-old mother is in a care home in Benson. Previously her mother lived in Westgate House in Wallingford, however, the family decided to move her because she had not seen her grandchildren or her great-grand children for months due to care home rules.
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Mrs Walters explained she has struggled with the care home rules over the past two years and has seen the impact isolation rules and lack of social contact has had on her mother.
Mrs Walters said: "My mum says there is no point in living, because the only thing she lives for is to see her family."
The Order of StJohn Care Trust which runs Westgate House, said they follow government guidance on visiting in care homes.
Sanctuary Care has a dementia and nursing home in Wantage, and they say wellbeing for their resident is "extremely important".
A spokesperson said: “Visits are extremely important for the wellbeing of our residents and we offer a number of visiting options across our homes to ensure residents can stay connected to their loved ones. These are fully supported by our dedicated staff.”
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