a question about social support bubbles and the over 70's

[salsa899]

I'm confused!
My Mum is 83 and lives alone. When the government brought out the latest advice about support bubbles, my siblings and I thought great, Mum can have some proper company for the first time in 3 months.
My sister who lives nearby, lives with her partner but has no children, thought she could go and see Mum finally, inside her house.
Reading this advice though, it seems that over 70's are still in the vulnerable category and can only form a support bubble with someone living alone. All over Facebook today, friends are posting photos of their visits to see Mums (all over 70) and they all live with their partners and/or children. What are the actual rules? Could my 83 year old Mum let my sister (who lives with her partner) inside her house or can they only meet outside, socially distanced?
This is the link to what the government are saying: if you scroll down, the rules for over 70's seem different!
www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

Under the clinically vulnerable bit (which includes the over 70’s) it says that they can form a support bubble as long as one of the households is a lone adult or single parent

yes, so my sister can't see our mum (because my sister doesn't live alone) and my friends who are all going into their Mum's homes are also going against guidelines (they think they're following them!)

No, only one household has to be someone who lives alone, doesn't have to be both.

yes, that's what I thought Penny, but if you read the government guidance on over 70's it says they can only form a bubble with someone who lives alone, like if their daughter is a single Mum and her children.
it's very confusing!

this is what it says on government website:

"We know that people 70 and over, those with certain underlying conditions and pregnant women may be more clinically vulnerable, so we have advised them to take particular care to avoid contact with others.

That means such individuals can meet people outdoors but should be especially careful. Similarly, clinically vulnerable people can form a support bubble with another household, if one of the households is an adult living alone or with children, but extra care should be taken."

it's the last sentence I'm confused with! It suggests that over 70's can only form bubbles with people who live alone or with children

Clinically vulnerable people can form a bubble if one of the households is a single adult, but extra care should be taken.

Your mum is a single adult so can be in a bubble with whoever she chooses but they should be 'careful'. They are just reiterating this advice is only relevant if one household is single so people don't read that section alone and go 'Oh great over 70s can form bubbles'.

That's saying that one of the 2 households, either the over 70 or the other has to be a single household

ONE OF the households just means:
Jean (80) bubbles with son Dave, wife Dee, kids - OK as one household has a single adult (Jean)
John and Jean (both 80) bubbles with son Dave (single dad) and his kids - OK (as above but Dave is single)
John and Jean bubble with Dave and Dee - not OK.

If your mum is single then any bubble she joins will meet the rules and be ok.

thanks, gone from confused to understanding (but think it's open to misinterpretation like a lot of government advice!)