New screened area allows for long-awaited family reunions at Borders care home

Happy family reunions are now taking place at Grange Hall in Melrose thanks to the creation of a visitor screen between the main home and its adjoining public hall.

Since last Monday three visits per day have taken place, allowing the 49 residents at Drygrange to gradually be reunited face-to-face with their family.

Grange Hall director Richard Lewis said: “Due to the restrictions on visiting we needed a visiting solution for our vulnerable residents and families.

“The home used to be a seminary, so there’s an area that used to be a chapel. We turned that into an events hall for birthday parties and special gatherings, so because it’s connected by double doors but with a separate entrance it proved an ideal way to create this visitor screen, fitted with a full-size plastic sheet, in the double doorway.

“We have a chairs and a table on each side with refreshments. Our resident enters and leaves through an internal door and their visitor enter and leave through the external door, this allows no-contact visiting without calling up and down from outside windows.”

Under the Scottish Government’s lockdown guidelines care homes were banned from accepting visitors in March.

But now the independently-owned home’s 65 staff are organising visits by appointment and clean both areas between each slot.

“In addition to this we do have Skype video calls, but we wanted to do our best for our residents,” Mr Lewis added. “This is a simple idea that works.

“So far everyone has been getting on very well and understanding what’s happening. However, this is the icing on the cake where people can be closer to each other and speak to one another directly.

“This way they’re almost within touching distance and visitors can see up close how their relative or parent is getting on.”

The visiting area was created three weeks ago, and cleared by infection control officers and the Care Inspectorate before being given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government.

Mr Lewis added: “It has been a huge success, a little thought and a sheet of plastic has made this difficult time a little easier for some of our residents and families. We have been very lucky we have had no instances of Covid-19 so far.”