"If I don't see my mum in her care home, she might forget who I am"

A woman from Harrogate has told Greatest Hits Radio that she's concerned her mum might forget who she is as a result of new visiting restrictions at care homes.

Anna McIntee's 75-year-old mum, Margaret Briggs, is being cared for at a home in Dewsbury. Her and her family have been unable to visit her since July because of local lockdowns and visits being banned in some care homes.

Mrs McIntee, said: "My mum has dementia. She recognises us still and it's just that connection that we need with her. I don't think it's too much to ask. We just want to go back and see her.

"It's a progressive disease. She knows who we are for now but we don't know how long that's going to last."

Mrs McIntee and her family had been seeing Margaret by waving at her through her room window, but new restrictions mean they can't even do that.

She told us they'd thought about taking her out of the home, but it wouldn't be possible as she needs around-the-clock care.

She said: "These restrictions are way too harsh and they're going to cause far more issues than the virus itself.

"If mum forgets who we are because of this it would break my heart. There are so many people in the same position as us. We need to be heard."

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, discussed Mrs McIntee's position in Parliament earlier this week.

He said: "We all know the real problems that care homes dealt with in the early stages of this pandemic. We are of course talking about some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

"I recognise the need for harsh restrictions at the start, but I was glad to see them start to ease. But we're seeing situations where no type of visit is being allowed.

"It is clearly better to see your loved ones through a window than not at all. My point is that there could be ways that visits could be held in some form, particularly for those who are suffering with cognitive impairments such as dementia."

North Yorkshire County Council's Director of Health and Adult Services, Richard Webb, has written to all care providers to update them on the new restrictions.

You can read about the changes to care home visits in our region here.