[Music]
we're worried about a residents if we do
end up getting call but we really do
treat them like our family and we don't
want anything to happen to them
my trying our hardest to stop that from
happening
[Music]
breakfast time at Russia knee care home
everyone gets a temperature check and
the blast of upbeat music they're doing
whatever they can to buffer the most
vulnerable from the virus raging outside
inside they've filmed themselves just
for Channel 4 News
since family visits stopped 16 days ago
the job has changed
these are carers in every sense of the
word where possible they explained to
Mary and the four in five residents here
who have dementia what on earth is going
on the chances of us getting the longer
this goes on we hear these measures
could be in place for many months what
effect will that have on your residents
I think of a great effect on the
residents people naturally are sociable
they're used to seen their families
they're used to interacting with other
people in a daily basis and getting into
the community here there isn't some
sales there's a high risk we're going to
get people that are turning our faces to
the walls are going to get too placed we
really do treat them like our family and
we don't want anything to happen to them
Myra has returned from hip surgery in
hospital she has no symptoms but is
spending 14 days in her room as a
precaution every day here is a strain to
keep the virus at bay and to keep
spirits high we're all been told to keep
our distance from one another is that
possible in your environment we're
struggling aim and less environment it's
very hard to aim when you have in people
living with dementia the spatial
awareness is not there so you know
there's residents that will come up in
the morning and want to hug you or you
know be right beside you and you know
distance yourself from them would cause
a lot of stress and distress for them
that would be very unfair there is fear
- that the virus will find its way here
faster than supplies of protective
equipment from the authorities although
the Scottish government says from today
it's improved its distribution of PPE
and sourcing more is an absolute
priority you have everything you need I
would say that we need masks having
enough masks for one person is not good
enough they're coding methods of
sourcing these at the moment from the
social care as basically that we've to
wait until they've got a confirmed case
before or suspected case and they move
to phone them up and then they'll get
them to us that's not good enough we
need to have them and nakir home is
ready for that to happen so they control
what they can 95 year old jesse has been
seeing her daughter over video link
until they were briefly reunited today
the impression I have all the timers
that she's fine she's really happy and
we actually see this because of the
videos in the films that the the
would you like to say to the people who
are in there caring for you on them day
and night thank you
really really thank you I'm so grateful
so grateful to them sorry
it's really tough how do you feel about
your role in this crisis your class is
very much a critical worker what you're
doing is so important implode
really clothes I'm really proud that I'm
meeting the difference maker cloud that
I'm helping people should be they've
taken something like this for people to
appreciate what you're doing every day
know should have been the protective
equipment they say can't come soon
enough but what they do have our
reserves of resolve to keep these
residents happy and safe Karen Jenkins
reporting them now the trauma of losing
loved ones the struggle to say goodbye
in the age of coronavirus an experience
which is sadly becoming all too common
across the UK and throughout the rest of
the world Pat Midgley died of the kovat
19 virus in hospital in Sheffield
yesterday despite being 82 she was still
active as a Labour councillor in the
city she and her husband had celebrated
their 60th wedding anniversary just last
year earlier I spoke to her daughter
Johanna medley and I began by asking her
how suddenly the illness came on like
most people we thought this was
happening to others and not to us and
suddenly we were plunge into it two
weeks ago she was at a meeting in the
community and she's been really busy and
active up until that point she then got
a few symptoms and gradually became more
on well and was admitted to hospital
last Tuesday and how difficult was it at
that point to get in to see her and just
at all
but it was very worrying because
obviously we couldn't get in touch with
her and we couldn't go and see her it
was only on Friday that we were offered
the chance to visit her and that's when
she'd deteriorated and I think they
realized that she wasn't going to make
it and how difficult was it for you
going to see her on the
covet ward I had to wear full PPE so I
would have to gown gloves mask and that
was quite difficult obviously you know
because it's difficult to talk to
somebody when you dress like that I mean
just when you're having to wear all the
gowns and the masks as you described
your your instinct must have been to try
and hug your mum but presumably you just
couldn't do any of that it's really
really difficult and you know this is a
completely different way of people
ending their lives it's not what we used
to it's not what we want families but
and it's it kind of you know it doesn't
feel right that that's the way that
people died but it's the way it is at
the minute how are you coping with that
I mean I'm lucky because I got to see
her but my my brothers and my dad and
all the family members didn't and I know
a huge circle of friends as well they
all feel really bad that they weren't
able to see her in the last couple of
weeks before she died and I know we're
not the only people affected like that
it's affecting thousands of people
across the world and everyone's got
their own stories and their own
different circumstances but it must make
you feel very guilty and you know it
yeah I don't think we'll get over that
very easily because it wasn't a goodbye
that we wanted together and I know this
is really hard to talk about but given
that funerals are restricted at the
moment have you thought about how you're
gonna be saying that your goodbyes to
your mum we haven't really thought about
that just share I mean I know they're
restricted and
I think because my mum was so well-known
and well-liked that we probably will
have some kind of a more real service
later on when hopefully all of this is
over when people can get together and
share their memories of her how would
you like to remember your mum um well my
mum was a force of nature she was
amazing and she there's so much for the
community and for the city of Sheffield
in a 33 years as councilor despite it
being such a difficult and to her life
that the staff at the hospital at the
northern general were just amazing and I
can't thank them enough for letting me
get into SIA and they're working
such difficult circumstances and they
were so kind and lovely too and she
really impressed that on me when I went
to visit her that they would been really
caring to her and just before she died
they allowed us to take some cards and
messages from other family members and
they rent them out to her just about two
minutes before she died so that's really
comforting and I just want to say that
their absolute hero is everyone that's
working in the NHS in the minute I'm
sure they'd really appreciate hearing
that I just wonder what your message was
to other people who you know may be
worried about family members with
coronavirus what do you say to them at
this point my experience with the staff
that we encountered I would say that
your family members wrinkled hands but I
would also say that I would urge
everybody to really treat this disease
seriously and to follow the guidelines
of social distancing to follow the
guidelines of self isolation I'm now
self isolating for 14 days which is
really difficult because a time of
bereavement I want to be with my family
and friends and I can't I've got to be
on my own and I think that's an
implication that maybe people don't
think about as well but really just
follow the guidelines because we've got
to save the pressure that on the NHS so
that they can care for the people that
they need to care for Joanna Mary thank
you so much for joining us at this
really difficult time for you really
sorry for your loss thank you thank you
now millions of people aged 70 and above
have been told to self isolate for at
least three months but what about those
who live in multi-generational
households it's a particularly tricky
issue for Asian communities where eighty
percent of those aged over 70 live with
extended families are home affairs
correspondent - Lissoni has this report
I got two children and my wife and we
bought vodka damages and my
mother-in-law she's a husband doctor
Hyderabad and his children have always
enjoyed living in an extended family but
in the current crisis it's become a huge
source of stress I think that every
family at the moment is a stress out
especially initially in the Asian
culture you know as you probably know
where we have a kind of religious
and you know customs and also the
cultural responsibility that we have to
look after our elderly parents I have
many friends there help professional and
they have to go back to every day to
live with the elderly parents his
mother-in-law Naheed Fatima is 80 and
like many her age has underlying health
conditions he and his wife both go out
to work for the NHS every day and the
whole family worried about the potential
risks it's quite worrying to see that
you know she's quite obviously that said
she's quite vulnerable so there's always
worry like if she has like if she does
catch it then that's a problem and just
it's just quite worrying to be honest
dr. Aziz practice is in Oldham here as
in other areas with large Asian
populations it's common to see three or
four generations living together under
one roof if you're white and you're aged
over 70 then statistically you're
unlikely to live with your children or
grandchildren but if you're Asian and
you're aged over 70 then it's unlikely
that you don't live with them 80 percent
of the over 70s within Asian communities
live in multi-generational households
and that can mean that following the
government advice on self isolating can
feel almost impossible for families who
live together for economic as well as
cultural reasons it can be especially
difficult I have a few patients they are
housebound are the end-of-life their
palliative care patients and their
living but ever extended family as he
showed me around the area served by his
practice dr. Abbas told me few of his
patients will have the luxury of being
able to afford to have separate rooms
all the space to distance themselves
they have a big patient population and
highly populated overcrowded place and
they're mainly historically you know is
supposed to deprived area P most of the
houses are here like a two to three
bedroom house is where about 10 to 12
people could be living in one house
which is quite over corded places it can
be very high this for the family to
spread the coronavirus health
professionals fear that tight-knit
Muslim communities are particularly at
risk of the disease social practices of
eating praying and living together can
make them vulnerable as the doctor
showed me around a stark reminder of
just how vulnerable we were approached
by a man who had lost his grandfather to
the virus it's devastating for all the
family it was quite shocking to us all
to hear that he was crawled through and
a virus and we don't know where he's got
it from he's been in contact with his
cousin is also now critically ill in
hospital to back up again physically
utilities for many here are all too
aware of the suggestion that one reason
Italy was struck so hard because they to
have a high proportion of elderly
residents living with extended family
there are no specific guidelines here
for multi-generational households health
professionals say there should be their
message tonight that these families need
to try and take extra care