A TYNE Valley care home has converted one of its bedrooms into a Covid-safe visitor room.

The room’s installation at Burn Brae Lodge care home, on Corbridge’s Prospect Hill, has seen residents reunited with their families after five months of lockdown.

It comes after the Department of Health and Social Care gave care homes the green light to reopen their doors last month, having been closed to visitors since March.

Now, a ground-floor bedroom of the care home, which cares for the elderly and people with dementia, has been fitted with perspex screens floor to ceiling to allow for safe interaction between loved ones.

Its location on the ground floor also means that visitors do not have to enter the care home itself, but rather through a side door in the car park.

Director and manager of care at Burn Brae Lodge, Paul Howard, said that the room had proved popular with families since its opening on July 22.

He added: “One resident saw her son for the first time in five months and said it was the best day of her life and that she’d remember it forever.

“It’s not normal, but its a lot better than no contact at all.”

The room is open by appointment only with visits staggered to allow staff adequate time to sanitise the area.

Before, the care home, which has been supported by the local authority throughout the pandemic, had been relying on technology to maintain contact between families and friends.

Having embraced Skype during lockdown, Audrey-Gail Parkin, whose mother, Audrey Maddison, has been a resident for 17 months, was able to visit her mother face-to-face after the room’s installation.

She said: “The room’s fabulous. What a difference to see my mam.”

She added: “Burn Brae have been fantastic, I couldn’t praise them enough. They’re a happy crowd, there’s always laugher in the home.

“I was a frequent visitor before and am always welcome, anytime.

“It’s a very happy care home - it’s just like visiting my mam in her own home with her friends.

“I am so grateful that my mam is living there, keeping her and residents safe. I couldn’t ask for more.”