Hugs, cuddles and tears at reunion at home

Eunice Hammonds was able to enjoy a hug and cuddle from her daughter-in-law Sorana at her home at Homestead Care Home Brownhills.

It was the first chance she had had to do this since moving to Homestead in September and was possible following the relaxation of lockdown restrictions, which allows up to five named visitors.

The 86-year-old had been restricted to limited visits from Sorana and her daughter Julie, something she said had been very difficult for her.

She said: "I've missed my home and I really do miss seeing my family because I'm not used to being able to have them in my room and talk to them.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and being able to give them a big hug.

"Having Sorana here today was great as I've given her a big long squeeze, which was great as I haven't been able to talk to her."

Mrs Hammonds said the next thing she wanted to do was go to the arboretum in Walsall with her four children Dawn, Julie, Freddie and David, then have a carvery in a pub afterwards.

The visit by Sorana was an emotional day for both her and Eunice, with a few tears being shed as the pair sat and chatted in the home.

Sorana said the chance to give her mother-in-law a hug was something she'd been looking forward to since Eunice had moved into the home.

She said: "When she moved here, it was really tough as to see her, she would be behind a screen and she couldn't understand why the screen was there.

"It's been such a difficult time because Eunice came here in the middle of a pandemic and we couldn't come and visit her or walk around the home.

"There would be times when she would ask if she could hold my hand or my husband David's hand and we'd have to tell her we couldn't do that because of the virus."

Clearly emotional, Sorana said the toughest times had been saying goodbye and leaving as Eunice wouldn't understand why they couldn't hug or kiss goodbye.

She said: "There has been so much love between us and it was so tough not to be able to give it during this when the screen was up.

"The worst thing for the whole family had been that we felt we'd abandoned Eunice as we couldn't see her, but we know we can do more now and as long as we're careful, we can make the most of this opportunity, which we thought we'd lost.

"I think that in a world where you can't always articulate yourself well, the power of that touch radiates through you and even if she might not remember why she feels happy, that physical touch helps."

Homestead Care Home Brownhills had done a lot of work to ensure meetings like the one between Eunice and Sorana could take place safely, with home manager Alex Rogers explaining the work that had gone in.

She said: "When we saw the government guidance that was announced, we had to make ourselves aware of it and really go through the details to make sure there was nothing we needed to be aware of.

"That meant updating the Covid and visiting policy, creating risk assessments for where we can hold the visits because of the volume of meetings we were expecting and also risk assessing where people are going to go when they go out."

Mrs Rogers said the benefits to everyone at the home had been enormous, with residents happy to see their loved ones again and staff happy to know the residents were happy and safe.

She said: "Seeing Eunice and Sorana today has really made me feel so warm inside and it's just heart filling and so lovely to see.

"It's amazing to be able to see the residents reunited with their loved ones without screens in front of them and it's all positive going forwards."