As the UK faces a potential second wave of the coronavirus, care homes across the country have started to restrict visits to protect their elderly residents.
But the limits are causing heartache for relatives, some of whom have spoken of their grief at not being able to visit family members, even in the final days of their lives, with some only allowed one visitor for half an hour a fortnight.
In Norfolk, Anna Hemp and her family are mourning the loss of her grandfather Alan Sigsworth, 91, who died on Saturday from natural causes, with only one member of his family able to see him for a 30-minute period before his death, which a doctor had warned could happen within days.
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Deborah Johnson Lanholm, 63, lives in Sicklerville, New Jersey. A retired nurse, she’s the primary caretaker for her older sister, Helen Palese, who lives with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. “She’s nonverbal,” Deborah says. “I do her speaking for her. So every other day, we do something together. We go to the movies. I take her to my crocheting group. We go out to dinner or the mall. But she’s with other people. All of that will have to stop because she’s too compromised.”
With many in Hong Kong reeling from the impact of last year’s pro-democracy protests and the coronavirus pandemic, a panel of mental health professionals and an artist recently pointed to the transformative and healing power of art.
Massive societal change is stressful and people usually resolve that stress by channelling it into an activity or even running away, but the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19 make that difficult, says Dr Elisabeth Wong, a psychiatrist and adviser at Mind HK......
On Sunday the federal government strongly recommended that people over 70 should go into self-isolation – meaning they should avoid contact with anyone outside their home, and should leave the home only if absolutely necessary.
For older Australians, many of whom are not used to ordering groceries or pharmaceuticals online, this presents logistical challenges.
The Bump device, which makes an audible alert when the wearer is too close to others, will be worn by the 100 elite competitors and 500 event coordinators.
The race, 19 laps of a closed course in St James's Park, screened from public view, is the first major marathon since the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers say.
Non-elite runners can participate in a 24-hour virtual version of the event.......