RESIDENTS at Eskgreen care home in Musselburgh are delighted that loved ones can now visit them from this weekend as the Covid-19 lockdown eases.

The facility – on Shorthope Street near the River Esk – closed in mid-March and escaped the deadly virus. Run by East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP), the 27 residents, aged between 62 and 94, have been keeping “in good heart” during the lockdown.

An ELHSCP spokesperson confirmed: “No one has contracted Covid-19 at Eskgreen.”

Now, in line with Scottish Government guidance, the residents are looking forward to meeting visitors in outdoor areas only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10-11.30am and 2-4pm, and Sundays, 2-4pm and 6-7.30pm.

At the moment, visits are restricted to one ‘key visitor’ and will be held in outdoor areas.

Clair Anderson, manager, said: “It’s been hard because obviously people are missing their families and friends, but we all know why it has to be this way and we decided to make the best we could of it.”

ELHSCP introduced very restricted visiting to its four care homes, including Eskgreen, in mid-March, swiftly followed by no visiting from March 23.

Clair said: “We had to act very quickly but I think residents and families understood why and were behind us.

“We managed to get our hands on Kindles and iPads very quickly and helped residents to Skype and FaceTime family and friends. This has really helped to keep people in touch regularly and relieve families’ anxieties.

“We have a brilliant team spirit in Eskgreen. Relatives and staff have pulled together throughout the outbreak and have concentrated on trying to get as much out of life as possible, even though we were all living through a very challenging time.

“We have kept ourselves really busy and really positive. I think the key to it is trying to get as much fun out of life as you can. So, we have had skittles evenings, birthday parties, Easter celebrations and we pulled out all the stops for VE Day – we even had a piper playing in the grounds.

“We’ve also had wonderful support from community groups, who have sent gifts for us – residents and staff! It’s brilliant to have such tangible proof that everyone is thinking of us.

“We’ve focused on being active and creative – we sing, we dance, we even made a video – Somewhere Over the Rainbow – which went viral locally.

"You can see it at bit.ly/2CZizla and it features residents singing The Wizard of Oz classic and is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye.

“It’s also about helping people feel good about themselves so we’ve done a lot of pampering sessions – we all have lovely hair and great nails.

“We’ve had great help from ELHSCP’s care home team too. They’re a nurse-led team that have been working in care homes across East Lothian for the last four years.

“In addition to their routine work of looking after the clinical needs of residents, like medication and wound care, they also really stepped up to help us during Covid.

“They made sure that all the care homes they work with were on top of the guidance, which was being updated all the time, had access to all the PPE they needed and knew how and when to use it.

“I think all care homes in East Lothian, ELHSCP and private, have been doing their very best to keep people cheerful and safe.

“At Eskgreen, I would have to say that we have great support from families, a great staff team and, most of all, great residents. That’s the secret of our success.”

Irene Tait, chair of Musselburgh & Inveresk Community Council, said: “We were delighted and heartened at the way the management and staff of Eskgreen have coped with the coronavirus.

“Through their diligence and great care, they have kept the residents and staff safe from contracting the virus.

“We are all aware of the huge debt of thanks we owe to everyone working in our health and care sector; however, it’s especially nice to hear good news in our own town and we can be very proud of them.

“I would also like to thank everyone who has rallied round to help neighbours, family and strangers at this time – it all matters.”