'Hug bubble' connects seniors to their families

Ninety-seven year-old Colette Dupas, a nursing home resident in Jeumont, France, has been taking precautions against COVID-19.

She's been limited to speaking with her family via video call or through a window. But now, Dupas is able to feel their touch – through plastic - thanks to an inflatable tunnel known as the “hug bubble”.

Dupas’s daughters recently visited her, putting one arm through an airtight-sealed plastic sleeve to reach their mother and stroke her hair.

Stephanie Loiseau is an assistant at the nursing home: [ENGLISH TRANSLATION] "It has brought comfort. Residents would see their relatives through a window or through a camera and they were really missing having real contact and they are getting a lot of love."

Before Dupas’ daughters left, they took turns kissing their mother on the cheek through the plastic.

After guests leave, an employee disinfects the plastic sheet to prepare for another loving encounter in the hug bubble.