Editor:
The health officials must re-evaluate the visiting restrictions in long-term care homes.
At this point, there is no quality of life left for our seniors. Mom is 91 and says she is past caring, as no one cares about them. Dad is 98 and says he fought in the war for freedom and he’s now locked away like a convict.
Please stop the anxiety and anguish this is causing our seniors as dad is trying to escape and mom tells me she is going to run away.
The social isolation and loneliness is causing more behaviour problems. They are disconnecting from life as we cannot hug them, hold them or interact with them from six feet away.
Their 69th wedding anniversary was on Aug. 30, but there was no major celebrations as we could even break up the monotony with a simple drive.
My mom was to have a visit from the psychiatrist back in April, but that still hasn’t happened. Diagnostic medical appointments have already been cancelled twice and now rescheduled for November.
It is important to have these appointments without having to then be in isolation for 14 days away from dad.
After repairing dad’s hearing aids twice in early 2020 due to lack of care at a long-term care home, one hearing aid went missing about four months ago. I am unable to get a new one as the hearing centre tells me they need to retest him because the device is four years old.
They say it is unlawful for them to replace it with the same prescription.
Once again, if I take him out, it would mean 14 days in isolation away from mom, which is detrimental to both of them. He needs this appointment to hear correctly without taking away his rights.
We are fortunate to have window visits as dad has a better chance of hearing me, as opposed to the six-foot distance at a table, where I would be required to wear a mask, which would muffle my voice even more.
The rules state each resident can have only one designated visitor, so if I am the designated person for mom and my husband is the designated person for dad, surely all four of us could have a visit together at the same time as we are in the same bubble.
Yet we are told this is not possible.
This is absolutely absurd as I am told I could be the designated visitor for both my parents and see them at the same time. As an only child, my heart goes out to others who have had to choose who can visit.
Wendy (and Rod) Hodgson
Kamloops
