My Mum's care home has been brilliant. They have full PPE, each staff member has their temperature taken when they start their shift. Every resident has their temperature taken twice a day. The residents are now all confined to their rooms but are having lovely meals as usual and the careworkers have been reading Mum's poems to her and just having a chat.
They have arranged for us to Skype or Facetime and they stay with Mum and encourage her to talk rather than just listen and watch. She is getting the hang of it! They are also giving the ladies shampoo and sets as the hairdresser can't come in.
Mum has been very much more confused and agitated since lockdown and her Alzheimers means that sometimes she understands why I can't visit and others she can't. She has also had two falls in the last week. The Manager rang and we had a long chat about all this yesterday and said that they are doing all they possibly can to ensure she has no more falls but I understand this is very difficult. They have contacted the Falls Team but this could take a while. Mum spends so much of her time backwards and Forwards to her toilet that falls are inevitable. She has an necklace alarm but doesn't use it. There are 2 pull alarms in her room and one in her loo but she never uses them either. If she did, the careworkers would come and help her but she just takes herself mostly.
The GP has prescribed a low dose of something for when Mum has a really bad day.
We also discussed me becoming an ?essential visitor? if Mum deteriorates further. That would mean I could go in after completing forms and having my temperature taken and wearing Mask etc. That has put my mind at rest a bit although, fingers crossed, things stay as they are now for a while.