A daughter whose 94-year-old mum has endured nine months of on-off lockdowns has challenged the Scottish Government to protect residents’ human rights.
It comes as the Sunday Mail reveals that one in five care homes remain in lockdown as the second anniversary of the pandemic approaches.
Anne-Marie Hoey, from Airdrie, said: “Like everyone in care homes, mum has had to self-isolate and endured various lockdowns. During this time she is confined to her room with little or no mental stimulation.
“These constant lockdowns are having a detrimental effect on residents’ mental health and mobility.
“After two years, the Government has still not got to grips with the problems and offered a proper solution so families and care home managers know where they stand.
“It is heartbreaking that my mum and other residents are subjected to different rules from the rest of society.
"And we still don’t have Anne’s Law, a basic piece of legislation that would make sure that an essential visitor will always be there for each resident.
“It feels like we have lost sight of the fact that we are dealing with human beings – if this was happening in prisons or anywhere else in society, there would be an outcry.
“As things stand, families are being left to fight for the basic human rights of these voiceless people.
“We get kind words from the Scottish Government but the changes introduced make no difference when homes are going into continual lockdown.
“We need to do everything we can to stop the spread of Covid but it can’t be at the expense of the most vulnerable’s right to some sort of normal family life.
“I want my mum to have a quality of life, not just quantity – that means having her seven grandchildren and five children around her.”
The Scottish Government's Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart said: “We’re committed to introducing Anne’s Law as soon as possible.
“We have already published responses to consultations on Anne’s Law and this month we will be publishing the final analysis of all responses.
“The Scottish Government fully expects care homes and health protection teams to support people living in care homes to have visits from loved ones unless there are truly exceptional circumstances.”
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