Families feel a sense of relief as SHA relaxes visitation restrictions

The news this week from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) that it would be relaxing some of the visitation restrictions for people in long-term care, critical care and emergency room visits, has come as a relief for many in the province with loved ones in care.

Mike McGuire is a host on ROCK 102 and Jack 94.5 FM. His mother has been living in a senior’s assisted living residence in Saskatoon for the past several months.

While it is not under the same restrictions as long-term care homes, the facility was put into lockdown for safety reasons when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Saskatchewan.

That meant McGuire could no longer visit his 92-year-old mom in her room and changed the way they could keep in touch.

He’s relieved he can now visit her again in a way she finds comforting, and reminds people that this type of human contact is critical for our seniors, who can suffer separation anxiety.

“When I would leave mom every time, she wouldn’t know I can’t come upstairs so she would ask me, ‘why don’t you come upstairs?’ and you could see it break her heart because she’s proud of her little place and she’s proud of herself,” McGuire said.

He said he is happy to hear that people who need to go to the emergency room and who need inpatient/outpatient care can now have a family member accompany them. He says it was very difficult when his mom needed to go to the hospital. He couldn’t take her himself, and she had to be transported by ambulance.

“I couldn’t go down to ER – I couldn’t talk to anybody and see anybody, I couldn’t talk to anybody about what was going on, it was a whole mystery.”

McGuire believes this step by the SHA is positive for families who have loved ones in long-term care, because it brings them closer to being able to visit the way they used to, and help to alleviate their loneliness.