Families describe the emotional toll of pandemic isolation policies that separated elderly relatives from each other and loved ones, calling the restrictions a painful but necessary measure. One granddaughter reflects on the heartbreaking impact of lockdowns, which prevented her grandparents—who had relied on each other for decades—from reuniting despite their long marriage and her own close bond with them. The early pandemic saw dementia and frailty force the couple into separate care homes, only for restrictions to further deepen their isolation. Their story highlights the human cost of measures intended to protect vulnerable populations during the crisis.
Relatives recount distress and loneliness their loved ones went through in pandemic as a result of isolation policy“At the time it felt like a devil’s bargain – it was horrible, but it was what [we thought] we had to do to keep people safe,” says Amy of the “devastating” and “terrifying” restrictions that led to her maternal grandparents being locked down in separate care homes during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.Eva and Eric had been married for more than 60 years when her dementia and his increased frailty meant they needed separate residential support. When the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, however, it in effect cut them off from each other and their granddaughter, to whom they had been especially close after the early death of Amy’s mother. Continue reading...
