Kingsthorpe care home residents each get first hug since pandemic declared after testing kits rolled out

Thirteen pensioners in Kingsthorpe were among the first people living at a Northampton care home to hug their family members in an emotional nine month reunion.

Staff at Boughton Lodge Care Home, in Boughton Green Road, have been trained to give family members a later flow test in their newly set up conservatory pod, which allows people to receive results to show if they have COVID-19 within 30 minutes.

Similar to at-home pregnancy tests, coronavirus lateral flow tests work by triggering a reaction in a simple paper cartridge, without the need for laboratory equipment, and can be processed on site.

The Government testing kits, which were rolled out to Boughton Lodge Care Home on December 18, allowed three residents to have a hug on Christmas Eve while seven more residents embraced their parents on Christmas Day and a further three people had visits on Boxing Day.

"It was the most emotional experience ever," Sam Rix, who is the activites coordinator and worked on Christmas Day, said. "The first visit was between a mum and daughter, and as soon as the daughter walked in and gave her mum a hug, she was in tears.

"I can't describe it, it was such a special moment and I was proud to be a part of it.

"For residents who do understand it was great for them to see a friendly face again, instead of through a pane of glass or a screen. We have been doing video calls but to have a physical visit was so fantastic and we are so excited to offer this to people."

It comes as the home - with six dementia patients and the eldest resident aged 97 - was made to shut its doors to visitors earlier this year on March 16, six days before their Mother's Day celebrations.

As well as families making huge sacrifices this year, staff at the care home have also had to put their jobs first by giving up their social lives and grocery shopping online to keep one another safe.

Residents at the home can now have two visits a week, from the same two visitors wearing full PPE.

The visitors have to book onto a timed slot so staff can be around to test them ahead of them entering the home.

Sam added: "When they said we are getting the lateral flows, and residents could have half-an-hour visits, it was so fantastic to recieve that news.

"It was like 'this is what we've been waiting for', it's a little bit of hope, we are not over this yet but that little bit of hope has boosted us a little bit more to keep going.

"We've kept everyone safe and we haven't had one case, so we know we are doing a great job. We are such a good team here and we've managed it, we've all pulled together."