West End star Ruthie Henshall describes visit to mother in Spring Lodge

Suffolk West End star Ruthie Henshall described it as “incredibly moving” as she finally got to hold the hand of her mother Gloria, 87, on her first visit to Spring Lodge care home, in Woolverstone, under the government’s new Covid regulations.

The actress has been spearheading a national campaign urging the government to relax the rules over care home visits to allow them to happen indoors with closer contact.

Following the visit, she said: “I had a couple of hours with her and was able to feed her lunch, brush her hair, read to her and play a song or two on video.

“For her, touch is her communication and you can see the difference being touched makes to her.”

She praised the staff and the quality of care at Spring Lodge which “being a smaller home is a lot more like a family”.

But she said the government’s restrictions on care home visits had been difficult for people living with dementia as they needed the stimulation of family visits.

Daya Thayan, CEO of Kingsley Healthcare, which runs Spring Lodge, has been supportive of families’ wishes, urging the government to open up visits as soon as it was safe to do so.

Author: Stephen Pullinger