Relatives of people in nursing homes have described the emotional impact of a year of strict visiting restrictions.
Many have not been able to hug or hold the hand of their parents for a year now.
It comes as the HSE says nursing home visits could resume soon, amid a sharp fall in COVID-19 cases in homes and widespread vaccination of residents and staff.
On today's Lunchtime Live, some of those affected by the ongoing restrictions shared their stories.
Susan - whose 97-year-old mother Nancy is in a nursing home - said she's now really looking forward to visiting her mother again.
She said: "Today marks the year anniversary of the last time I actually sat inside the nursing home with my mom in the day room and held her hand.
“We were lucky enough to get some visits - they had a marquee set up in the garden. But she was socially distanced… probably more than two metres apart.
“I’ve had some visits in the garden… but I haven’t actually physically sat down beside her and give her a hug… it’s very difficult.
"I’m dying to give my mom a hug.”
Nancy had COVID-19 back in April, but she has luckily come through that experience.
Susan says she's now looking forward to visits resuming, and for her mother to meet the great-grandchild born last year she hasn't been able to see yet.
'It's so hard'
Another listener, Mary, said her 78-year-old mother Marie - who has Alzheimer’s - receives fantastic care in her nursing home.
However, she expressed her frustration at the restrictions on visitation that have been in place.
She said: "Every time a guidance comes out, they tell me it’s only guidance and they have the authority to make their own rules.
“With window visits, the Government might recommend an hour, but they limit to half an hour."
She emotionally described how the home does have a special visiting room, but that it is divided by Perspex.
She said: “It’s lovely to see her, but it’s so hard because she tries to put things through the window."
Mary said that visits have also been limited to just one person per week for half an hour, due to concerns around the new COVID-19 variants.
She said: "I’ve pleaded with them 'can my daughter come in'… they said no, ‘we only want one person in the room’.
“It just makes such a difference to my mam if there’s two people there.
“It is the mental health of the family and the mental health of the residents… I feel like they’re the forgotten. They are cared for so well, but they’ve just been put aside.
“I haven’t held my mum’s hand in over a year.”
'Horrifically tough year'
Trina Donohue, the general manager of St Attracta's nursing home in Charlestown in Mayo, also spoke to the show.
She said staff are starting to get 'very hopeful and optimistic' about visits resuming in the near future.
She said: “It has been a horrifically tough year for everyone… not just nursing homes and older people, but if I was to be a little bit bias I do think for older people it has been especially hard.
“Time is especially precious if you’re that bit older, or your health isn’t that good.
"In my opinion, the pandemic has heightened for a lot of us what’s important in life - the simple things, like spending time with family and friends."
Trina said the home has continued allowing window visiting, alongside compassionate visits.
However, she said everyone misses visitors being able to properly visit the home.
She said: "We miss the life and atmosphere they bring… they don’t just visit their mum or dad, they visit the ten people that are near them.”
