Whilst current restrictions on movement make it difficult to carry out many everyday tasks, B&M Care continues to uphold a commitment to ensuring our key principles are met in line with maintaining a level of normalcy in each of our 26 care homes. But with this comes questions and concerns relating to the fast-paced climate that the social care sector is currently at the frontline responding to.

As a further instalment to our initial ‘Residents Questions’ feature in March, residents are once again pleased with our responses and have asked us to publish some of their questions to help you further understand what you can and can’t do in our now ‘curbed lifestyles’.

If I was still to have my car, would I be able to book it in for a MOT? John, St Anns (Kettering)

The government has granted car, motorcycle and van owners a six-month exemption from MOT testing. The extension came in on 30th March 2020 and will not invalidate drivers’ insurance policies. Owners are still encouraged to keep vehicles in a ‘roadworthy’ condition.

I have just video called my son and his hair is a frightful mess – what can he do? Violet, Montrose (Watford)

With salons and barbers currently closed until the foreseeable future, this has led to a rise of online tutorials and subsequently, some rather amusing outcomes which have now been coined as the ‘stay at home haircut’. For now, many are either shaving their heads or simply letting their locks grow, unless there is someone in the same household who is confident enough to make the chop.

Can my friend still collect her pension from the Post Office? Beryl, St Andrews (Welwyn Garden City)

There is a good chance that people who normally collect their state pension each week in cash by visiting a Post Office are in self-isolation. Normally, they will have a Post Office card account where the money will still continue to be paid into – but over 90,000 people have now nominated a trusted friend or family member who can withdraw cash from this account on their behalf.

My granddaughter has a leak in her kitchen – what can she do? Annie, Ryeview Manor (High Wycombe)

For many households, individual circumstances will determine how much of a risk a problem of this nature is. If you have the experience to stop the leak, this would be better than having to call a professional in to fix it. The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering says that plumbers, while permitted to visit homes, must not work if they are showing any COVID-19 symptoms; but if feeling well, they must maintain social distancing at all times. Therefore, keep away and don’t offer them a cup of tea!

Why is there so much fake news surrounding the pandemic? Trevor, Bury Lodge (Beaconsfield)

Amidst a slew of COVID-19 information being circulated on traditional media, digital and online platforms, the rise of false news has been coined as an ‘infodemic’ – and one that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is spreading faster than the virus itself. The WHO has declared misinformation and fear as some of the biggest challenges they face with the pandemic, and in response to this, is advising governments and news outlets to share information in a transparent and timely manner in order to counter mistruths and subsequently, reduce social anxiety.

False rumours include: 

• The virus is airborne
• Drinking alcohol protects you against contracting the virus
• Regularly rinsing your nose with saline helps prevent infection
• Holding your breath for 10 seconds or more (without coughing) means you are free from the virus
• Cold weather and snow can kill the virus
• 5G mobile networks spread COVID-19

Please note: all of the above are mistruths with no evidence or research proving their validity.

Useful links:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019