A son has expressed anger after a housing association restricted access to his 98-year-old deaf mother who suffers from dementia.
Roger Lovejoy has always visited his mother Dorothy Meredith of Ty Newydd House in Pontnewydd by using a code to enter the main building and gain access to the flats.
However, Bron Afon, who oversees the building, recently changed the code and refused to tell Roger the new number sequence.
Roger said: “I find it dangerous and inept not to provide the code. In the last year my mum has fallen twice with resulting hospital stays and the care-line system means I get a call and they send an ambulance as my mum cannot be contacted.
“I then provide the code for the main door. When I pointed out, I can no longer do this and asked what would happen, a Bron Afon receptionist said the ambulance people will have to break down the main door.
“Crazy at the best of scenarios, but in a home for the elderly, is more like insane.
“I'm sure others can get very stressed which precipitates dizziness and a possible fall. I will not blame anyone if such action results in distress, but I’m just warning people that such an event is now more likely to happen.”
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Roger was then informed by Bron Afon that residents should never have been given the code and only emergency services should have access, despite visitors using codes for the past ten years to see their loved ones.
Christine Duggan, Director of Communities and Placemaking, Bron Afon, said: “It’s important that our residents feel safe in their homes. Residents asked us to change the door code as they were worried that codes were widely known and being misused.
“We know that our residents may have vulnerabilities and need more support. We work closely with partner agencies and family members to provide it when needed.
“This includes supplying individual numbers for care organisations and delivery codes for services such as Meals on Wheels and pharmacies visiting residents in their homes.
“We have spoken with Mr Lovejoy to confirm we will support Mrs Meredith in any way we can, and we will meet with him this week to discuss this fully."
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