She was informed that she could meet her mother only for 30 minutes, that too under supervision following the incident. However, the future never came.
Mothers, no matter what, will always be there for their kids. Just the idea of them not being around is enough to wrench our hearts out. A daughter recently was banned from meeting her sick mother after she was seen cuddling her.
Lorna Hammond was informed by the care home that her mother Penny Simson didn't have much time to live. Hearing the news, Lorna, worried out of her wits, reached the care home to comfort Penny and be by her side for the remaining time that they had at hand, but things turned ugly very soon.
When the girl was seen hugging her dying mum, the staff at Sovereign House care home reportedly kicked her out. They said that visitors weren't allowed to touch the patients due to coronavirus restrictions. Anyone who came from outside was banned from touching the people inside the care home, reported The Daily Record.
After Lorna was asked to leave the care home in Coventry following the incident, she was later called to inform her that she could see her mum only for 30 minutes, that too under supervision. The mum-of-four was devastated by the news. With the grief of losing her mother any second coupled with the sadness of not meeting her, Lorna was broken. The 46-year-old is not just caring for her mum but also is a full-time carer for her 9-year-old autistic daughter, and dad who is a recovering alcoholic.
Sadly, before Lorna could make it to see her mother one last time, the senior passed away the next morning.
Dubbing the entire situation as "cruel," she said, "I knew it was the end really. I went up to see her and was really emotional anyway. I wanted to speak to my mum about something before she died. I didn’t want her to be alone and got into bed with her and gave her a cuddle and kiss."
She continued, “I wanted not to be her carer; I wanted to be her daughter. I just wanted her to know what was going on." She then explained that while she was hugging Penny, the staff returned and saw her because she hadn't locked the door.
"They asked me to leave and I left straight away," she said and added, “Then I got a phone call saying there had been a report to safeguarding meaning I had abused my mum."
Not aware of how the future of her mother might be, Lorna was left distraught. “I was devastated, but I would do it again because I wanted my mum to know she isn’t alone." Penny suffered from Parkinson's and Dementia and Lorna wanted her to know that her grandson's girlfriend was expecting a baby. To makes things worse than they already were, it's doubtful that the baby would survive because of a heart condition diagnosed in utero.
“It is so cruel," Lorna said. “My mum has had Parkinson’s since I was two which is 44 years ago and she was diagnosed with Dementia around eight years ago."
“In lockdown in June we got a call from the home saying she had six hours to live. We were all round her bed and we weren’t in PPE. We were allowed to be with her and touch her. It wasn’t Covid. They thought she was going to die from her worsening Parkinson’s and Dementia," she added.
Calling the staff at the care home "remarkable," Lorna said that it's the government rules that leave the people who really need someone to be around them, helpless and vulnerable. Talking to The Sun, she said, "The government has got it wrong if you can't give them a hug when they're dying. It is inhumane. I know I broke the rules but I would do the same again to see my mum and give her a cuddle."
A spokesperson for the care home told The Mirror that the mum passed away on the morning of October 7. They also revealed that restrictions had to be put on Lorna because rules were ignored by the mum-of-four on multiple occasions.
“We have had a recent positive Covid test in the home, so we could have stopped all end of life visits under government guidelines, but we are hugely sympathetic to families in such difficult circumstances and we want to be as flexible as possible within the rules," the spokesperson said.
“This was explained to the family, along with the importance of following guidelines on PPE and social distancing. Unfortunately, these rules were ignored and a number of other incidents meant we had to raise safeguarding concerns with social work," said the spokesperson.
The care home spokesperson added, "They were supportive of the plans – including supervised visits – that we were forced to put in place as we have a duty to provide a safe environment for all residents and our staff. Penny was a much-loved resident and she’ll be sadly missed by all of our team.”
A grieving Lorna said, "I'm devastated I didn't get to be with her before she died. We were too late to be with her. Covid took away my right to be with my mum. My heart is broken into pieces.”
References:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/woman-banned-visiting-mum-death-22979075
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13142305/woman-banned-visiting-mum-care-home-unauthorised-hug/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-banned-visiting-mum-death-22977106
