Ann, who asked not to use her last name to protect her son's identity and care, said he has not been able to visit his friends at Idea's day base, despite having gone there for the past 30 years.
"He's been isolated for eight months now, he's isolated from his friends, and the staff there are just as much their network as their peers. Why is it our guys?" she said.
Ann said she had noticed a deterioration in her son's mental and physical wellbeing from not being able to see his usual community and the upset to his routine.
Boyack said she met Idea services last year but had yet to get a clear explanation why the day base was closed to IHC residents.
"People staying in residential accommodation are missing out on social contact, which is so important for their wellbeing," she said.
Nelson Tasman Idea Services area manager Kerry Palmer said the region's two day bases, on Cambridge and Natalie Sts, were available to "people we support who either live with family or with other providers".
Palmer said people who live in IHC's residential services were still getting weekly activities.
"Under the red traffic light setting, the people we support are still enjoying community outings by carefully managing their bubble sizes," said Palmer.
But Boyack was concerned the services were overly restrictive in their Covid response plan by keeping those in IHC's residential services away from the day base.
"The Government has not put these restrictions in place and it does frustrate me when I see organisations be a lot stricter than necessary," she said.
Helen was another concerned mother of an adult living under IHC care who has also asked to not use her last name for fear of repercussions to her son's living situation.
She was concerned the closure of the bases, lasting beyond lockdowns in a new traffic light system, signalled the phase-out of the day base altogether.
"We had a meeting with Idea Services early last year in Tāhunanui. It was a very emotional meeting and we got the assurance then that our base was not going to close, but now it is closed to our guys," she said.
Italina Sowman's daughter Karen lived at home with her parents and continued to attend the day base, but her mother said she missed her friends.
"We need another contractor. If they can't provide the service well, please let it out," said Sowman.
Palmer told the Nelson Weekly the restrictions were temporary and would ease as the country moved down traffic light levels.
But Ann feared Covid restrictions and staff shortages were being used as an excuse to shrink day base and weekly activities. She's been told weekly visits to Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and the Menzshed for those in residential care have had to stop because of a lack of staff.
"They've taken advantage of Covid to do what they were going to do anyway. It's just lies, lies and more lies," said Ann.
IHC spokesman Jacob West said they were facing staff shortages "like other sectors".
"We have made a lot of changes in our services in the past couple of years in response to what the majority of people we support, and their families, have told us. We are moving to providing more modern services where people leave home for a purpose," said West.
