Care homes were likened to "zoos" during the COVID-19 pandemic, with residents experiencing such severe isolation that some expressed a wish to have died before the crisis, a Scottish inquiry has been told.
Thousands of Scots shared their experiences of the pandemic in the "Let's Be Heard" report, published as part of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. The report includes accounts from care home workers and families detailing the harrowing impact of restrictions on residents' well-being.
One care home worker from Glasgow described the situation as "a zoo, that's what it was like," noting that residents were "treated like animals" with no visitors and limited opportunities to leave their rooms. Some faced restricted visits through windows, further exacerbating their distress.
Families also reported immense suffering, with one woman from South Lanarkshire stating it was "barbaric to put the elderly through this" after being unable to visit her mother in care for seven months. The inquiry heard that information about the pandemic was sometimes withheld from residents, leading to confusion and further isolation.
Contact with loved ones was described as "akin to a prison visit." A woman from Glasgow recounted the trauma of seeing her father's hurt face through a window, unable to offer comfort through touch. Another account highlighted a deaf 100-year-old woman who felt she was in "solitary confinement" and wished she had died before Covid.
Care home workers observed residents "fade" not from the virus itself, but from the lack of contact with their families. The psychological toll on residents was significant, with one woman revealing her mother attempted suicide in a nursing home due to deep depression stemming from isolation.