Pandemic claims the lives of more than 3,200 people with dementia in Yorkshire and Humber
The Alzheimer's Society charity says people with the disease have been worst hit.
More than 3,200 people with dementia in Yorkshire and the Humber have died from coronavirus during the pandemic.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show more than 34,000 people with the disease have died in England and Wales.
Those suffering from dementia are the group worst hit by the virus.
The Alzheimer's Society charity says people with demetia in care homes have been cut off from loved ones - leading to a big deterioration in their health.
In a survey of 1,001 people who care for a family member, partner or someone close to them with dementia, an overwhelming 92% said the pandemic had accelerated their loved one’s dementia symptoms; 28% of family carers said they’d seen an ‘unmanageable decline’ in their health, while Alzheimer’s Society’s support services have been used over 3.6 million times since the pandemic began.
The Alzheimer’s Society is calling for meaningful – close contact, indoor – visits to be the default position without delay from 8 March.
For Terry Megeary, 74, of Hull, March 8 can’t come soon enough as he will once again be able to enjoy meaningful visits with his wife of 54 years, Lynne, in her care home.
Terry said: “Visiting restrictions meant I was limited to talking her her by phone through a locked window.
“It has been awful because she just sits there blankly, staring back at me. Now I’m so excited about the prospect of being able to sit with her and hold her hand.
“Her condition has, without doubt, deteriorated rapidly over the past year and I think lockdown restrictions have played a big part in that.”
There are an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including more than 76,000 in Yorkshire and Humber.