More than just a family member - indoor visits start up again

Following the successful introduction of outdoor visits in the care homes run by Methodist Homes (MHA), the charity is now starting to introduce limited indoor visits again.

And to help families understand how visits will work, the charity has produced a set of guidance which has been highlighted as best practice by John’s Campaign, which campaigns for the right of people with dementia to be supported by their family carers.

More than just a family visitor sets how MHA can start to re-introduce family visits indoors in its care homes, especially for those who have been unable to have any outdoor visits, which introduced in June.

During lockdown, MHA enabled families to have regular video calls with residents, as well as telephone calls and opened up for outdoor visits in gardens when it was safe to do so. Sadly, not all residents have been able to take part in these so MHA has developed its guidance, in conjunction with that from the Government, for families to once again be able to come into care homes and see their loved one, albeit on a limited basis initially.

MHA’s dementia lead David Moore, who developed the guidance, said: “We recognise how vital and complex relationships between our residents and their families and friends can be. Because of this bond we appreciate how difficult recent months have been for residents and their families.

“We are really grateful for how families and friends have worked with us over recent months and supported our care homes, as we worked to keep connections going through technology.

“With the release of the recent Government guidance in relation to visiting we have been able to introduce our Essential Family Carer scheme for residents who have been prioritised as needing essential support from a family member. There are still restrictions we need to adhere to, protecting our residents, our colleagues and the wider community from COVID-19. But, by following the advice and guidance from the local Directors of Public Health we can work together to introduce visiting for those residents who desperately need it.”