Mother ‘powerless’ to help daughter in care home during Covid, inquiry told

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Verona Gibson, a member of Care Home Relatives Scotland, told the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry on Tuesday her daughter’s physical and mental health declined. I feel like I'm down on my knees and it's destroying my life, and I feel like I'm getting nowhere, and it's making me feel unwell and I'm fed up because I feel stuck and it's getting too much now Care home resident during pandemic “I’m struggling to put into words how upsetting those calls could be and how difficult they were for both my daughter and myself.” The panel asked Ms Gibson what changes in physical health her daughter experienced as a result of the restrictions on care homes. “I could see that she was putting on weight and that’s a concern for me because anyone in a wheelchair needs to mobilise to transfer, and the heavier you are the harder that task becomes, so those were the sorts of things that were of concern to me.” Ms Gibson went on to criticise the “one size fits all” approach to Covid rules in care homes, questioning why care home staff were allowed to return to their homes after work but her daughter, who is not considered high-risk, was not allowed to see her family in person. “I feel angry and fed up.” Ms Gibson’s daughter is due to give evidence before the inquiry next week.