WHEN Helen Maddocks met her birth mother 20 years ago for the first time, she never thought she would be forced to be separated from the woman again.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
COVID restrictions and border closures have forced Stawell's Helen Maddocks to cancel her trip to Western Australia to continue to grow the bond she now shares.
In another bitter pill to swallow, Ms Maddocks' adopted mother's health is failing.
"I used to see my mother five times a week at Eventide Homes," she said.
"She has dementia, and now she doesn't know me."
OTHER NEWS:
Ms Maddocks was able to see her mother on Christmas Day. Before that - visits were only able to be done through the glass to keep residents safe.
"My mum is bedridden so they had to wheel her to the front entrance so we could wave," she said.
"There was a phone intercom system hooked up but Mum didn't understand what was going on and she also has limited hearing.
"When they start to lose their senses as they get older I believe the others pick up. With distancing and wearing masks - I think it adds to a lot of memory loss as you can't get close enough for people with hearing and sight loss to smell and feel which could jog a memory.
"Eventide Homes are doing a wonderful job in the care and facilitating the needs for families. It's just so hard."
Ms Maddocks had planned to travel to Western Australia in January to visit her birth mother for her belated 80th birthday.
MORE NEWS:
But, Western Australia closed its border to Victoria again on New Year's Eve.
"We correspond by phone and mail. Perth is a fair hike and when you've also got family here you have to pick opportunistic times to go," she said.
"I had planned to head over this year because after the 12 months we had had, I didn't know when I would get back there to see her until a vaccine for COVID was released.
"I was lucky enough to not have purchased a ticket yet because we've seen it all before."
Growing up in Stawell, Ms Maddocks moved back to the region five years ago and had been caring for her mother and working across the western region as an employment consultant.
COVID DIVIDE:
"I started working home back in February," she said.
"I am lucky I have a good manager. It was pretty tough. The first few weeks were not bad. The next few ok and it was just downhill from there.
"I was just stuck at home 24/7 in a house with a little dog and my own thoughts.
"Because I had a lot of time on my hands and to make it harder I couldn't even go see my mum."
As an employment consultant, Ms Maddocks' job requires her to be out with the public every day.
"It was a big shock to sit down at home all the time and not see anyone," she said. "I would also be riding out the pressures that businesses were feeling around the area - you certainly take that on board.
"Over the years employers and employees become friends. To see them struggle wasn't nice."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the region, sign up here.