I have started this petition on behalf of families across Scotland who are desperate to be reconnected with their loved ones in care homes.
There is no doubt the world is a scary time just now for everyone due to Covid-19 but imagine how it must feel for those living in a care home shut off from their families and loved ones? Yes we need to protect them from Covid but we also need to look out for their emotional and mental wellbeing.
We need a safe balance of recognising the risk of keeping residents safe from Covid but not to the detriment of their overall health and we have to include loved ones here as well. They need to be recognised as partners in care and for the worth they bring when allowed into care homes. They are more than just visitors.
Why can't we allow one designated visitor per resident to visit safely using personal protective equipment (PPE) and be treated the same way as staff are?
Why are agency staff allowed to come and go but ONE designated visitor per resident isn't?
Why are care home staff allowed to mix with their family (quite rightly so) and go into the care home to care for our loved ones but we aren't even allowed ONE designated visitor per resident to visit?
We are scared our loved ones in care homes are forgetting who we are and declining in health due to lack of visits from loved ones and all we are asking is that we allow ONE designated visitor per resident to be allowed to visit to bring some normality back to those living in a care home.
I want to make clear that the petition is asking for the one designated visitor per resident to be allowed access to the building on the same terms as staff in that their visits cannot be cancelled for any reason. We need to allow residents the very least connection to one loved one as this pandemic continues to affect our daily lives. We cannot allow residents in care homes to be isolated from families and close friends for years, we need to be treated as partners in care.