My mom’s assisted living facility has been in lockdown for several weeks now. I think what happened in Seattle – when one nursing home was so badly hit early in the pandemic – fundamentally changed how seniors viewed the virus, and how senior-carers decided to simply lockdown any facility housing seniors. My mom can’t get any visitors, and she says that people can’t even congregate in the public spaces anymore either. She also said a 91-year-old man “escaped” the facility yesterday for a few hours, and that now he’s back and in a mandatory quarantine for two weeks.
Beyond the very real fear of contracting the virus, the biggest concern for so many seniors (within or outside of assisted living facilities) is loneliness. Of not being able to have visitors, not being able to leave their homes or facilities, not being able to see kids or grandkids. And so now that Prince Charles is doing better after his “bout” of coronavirus, he’s out of isolation and making videos to raise awareness of how the quarantines are affecting the senior community, in support of his patronage, Age UK.
As Patron of @age_uk, The Prince of Wales shares a message on the Coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the older members of the community. pic.twitter.com/a6NEFPOtvQ
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 1, 2020
Prince Charles doesn’t get to interact with anyone for seven days and he comes out of it a new man. No, I think he’s always cared a lot, but he still got on that private plane and flew to Scotland while he was already feeling corona symptoms! Anyway, yes, I’m really f–king worried about seniors and how their lives have been completely upended by this and how lonely they are, especially the seniors who aren’t technically adept, aren’t on social media and can’t work out how to see their families and friends through video chats. My mom said to me this week, “I can’t believe what I’m living through.”
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red.
My uncle who had a heart attack, flatlined in the ER, and spent a week in the hospital, is stuck in a convalescent home. He is very weak, diabetic and the heart attack was his kidney’s failing and his heart not handling it. He’s stable now and improving, but the home discovered a case of COVID-19 this week. I am super worried for him. His wife, my aunt, is afraid he’s gonna catch it and die alone in there. An infected facility like this is no joke. These people are vulnerable.
That’s one of the most excruciating thing about this: seniors, and not only, die alone because they must be isolated.
And it’s on the medical stuff to contact the family, and when the numbers are huge there are consequences on the carers mental health because they are exhausted.
Eleonor- this home “forgot” to notify my aunt. Even though she called the morning after this broke. My poor mom had to break it to her after she read it online. She felt terrible about that but felt my aunt had to know.
Like what he had to say. But poor Charles doesn’t look like he’s 100% … I feel like he’s felt compelled to be visible right now..
Im so worried about my folks (70) and grandparents (95+), they are in Montreal which has been really hard hit and I hate that I can’t help them because Im over 2 hours away 🙁
I live in Montreal, my parents are both over 70 and are diabetic too…I totally understand where you’re coming from, LaLa. All I can say is keep in touch as much as possible, remind them to stay home, and to wash their hands a lot.
I was talking with my mom yesterday and she mentioned going for groceries today and I got a bit anxious. I would have loved to have done them for her but I don’t have a car, whereas she does, and we live a good 30-40 minutes apart by public transit. It sucks not to be able to do more.
Big hugs to you!
I keep telling my folks that I would set up grocery deliveries for them but they insist on shopping in person 🙁 I can’t keep yelling at them to stay home, but I am so so worried…
big hugs to you as well!
It’s contingent on the personality and psyche of the individual and then factor their environment. In my own situation, I tend to like staying home and I have a large very nice home therefore the situation doesn’t bother me. Charles has plenty of space but his routines are meetups all day, so having to quarantine will be more difficult in his case. People in nursing homes are generally in a smaller room and they like to interact with people, gossip and talk all normal. Charles is mostly correct older people need want to interact more.
My aunt is in her 60’s…she’s my mum’s younger sister and has been like my second mum lately with my mum being late. Anyway, she’s been sending messages every day and called today to check up on me again. It amazes me how she worries more about us than about herself. I’m so sad that so many elderly people are dying alone…without their families by their side…it absolutely breaks my heart. I worry about my aunt and she’s worrying about me! This situation is so unfair. I hope it passes soon. Glad Charles is better. Hope many others recover as well.
At least Charles III sounds sincere and concerned. At 67, and immuno compromised, I am taking no chances. Living in the mountains of VA with Fergus (my dog), I’m pretty remote anyway, but this situation is even testing my ability to fight creeping anxiety. I talk to my 87-yr-old mother (who’s self-isolating with my step-dad) pretty often, and yesterday I could tell she’s stressing out.
Anyway, I’m fascinated with Charles III’s somewhat official message from the BRF, and still no sign of the Queen, not even a staged photo op.
I think the queen is sick and Charles is De facto regent. I also think Charles is keeping Willie off the throne. I think the Cambridges put the succession at risk as far back as the kids’ school. The Sussexes are in the States so not to endanger the sussession at further risk.
My Gran is the matriarch of our family. We are in and out of her house. I stopped visiting 3 weeks ago. But others haven’t and now both my grandmother and uncle are exhibiting symptoms. While we were so concerned with Granny’s loneliness, the family brought the virus to her. The isolation is real, but it’s so very important for their health.
No one is stopping Charles from reaching the throne, Covid19 tried, but Charles was reading the papers and read all the talk about William (that he is putting out there) that he is ready to be king.
It will be fun with the leaks from K Palace and Clarence House, in coming months, jabba Johnson for CH and Jason lapdog wooton for KP.
I don’t care a fig about the BRF, and who gets to be The One next.
Just want this virus to be stopped. I feel like we are in a bad episode of The Twilight Zone.
Be safe, be careful. Prayers for all in need near and far.
Btw, we had power failure for a few hours yesterday in my area.
So glad electric is back, and internet is working.
I call my Auntie 2x a day just to chat a few minutes and say Love ya, please keep in touch as brst you can.
“She also said a 91-year-old man “escaped” the facility yesterday for a few hours, and that now he’s back and in a mandatory quarantine for two weeks.”
this is so, so heart-wrenching to read.
as for charles… he really doesn’t seem to have recovered, yet. looks so frail. when corona virus symptoms are designated as “mild,” trust and believe the “mild” symptoms hit 2 or 3x harder than the flu. so, even in its “mild” form, it really knocks a punch. as an immuno-compromised person who has been isolated alone for two and half weeks now, i started exhibiting symptoms about two weeks ago, briefly drove to a drive-thru testing clinic they had in downtown mtl at the beginning of last week, and the covid-19 diagnosis got confirmed within the week. i’m just now coming out of the bad end of it. thought it was gone after a week, and symptoms came back with a vengeance. hoping this iteration of wellness lasts. take care of yourselves out there, and don’t take for granted how dangerous you can be to other people, even when asymptomatic.
Symptoms continue afterward, especially weakness (easily tired) and depression – similar to how I felt when I had mono decades back. A few people have said they relapsed a week later so Charles should take care.
I do not think one week is sufficient. Nor do the medical authorities.
Either he was ill for some time before the reveal (most likely). Or else he is not better yet.
SMDH.
@SomeChick – I don’t think QEII is doing well. And Charles had to show himself to lay people’s mind at ease. Of course that is all guesswork on my part.
I haven’t seen my Mom in a month because of all of this. Her assisted living facility locked down the first week of March. I worry about her being lonely especially since her roommate just left and now she’s all alone in her room. They are making the residents stay in their rooms for the majority of the day. My Mom has cognitive decline along with anxiety and depression and I worry about her mental well being during this time. We talk on the phone every night and last night she asked about trying to do webcam on her laptop with me and my brother. So we will try to walk her through setting up Zoom on her computer so we can all videochat. My brother dropped off supplies to her facility for her last week and she was peaking out of the resident area door trying to get a glimpse of him. She sounds good but I know she’s a bit lonely.
I know a few people who talk on their phones while sitting on a camp chair outside their parent’s room. My mom was in assisted living at the end and I felt like she didn’t breathe until she saw my face daily, so I have an idea of what you must be going through and I am so sorry.
I feel you. I have loved ones in assisted care and they spend the whole day shut in their room.
As far as setting up zoom, you can set it up. If she has email, it should send a link that she can just click to connect automatically.
Zoom is great! I went to a “zoom party” and it totally lifted my spirits.
It’s a month for me today too, and I feel like crying. I’ve been volunteering at my local rest home for almost three years and I’m worried sick about so many of them. I just want to see them, say hi, know they are okay. They must be so scared and confused. The care aids and housekeeping will be dressed to the nines in protective gear so those with diminished eyesight or dementia symptoms won’t recognize them, their volunteers, some of whom have been there weekly for 16 years have vanished and this home does not have internet for the patrons. I want to go plant my face against the glass and wave at them, but they have ended social gatherings for the next 3-4 weeks.
This is so awful, beyond awful. A nursing home in my area just confirmed 31 cases of COVID19 in that facility. And the news says our state hasn’t hit peak yet, whatever that means. Prayers for all of you and your loved ones that are battling this epidemic.
Heartbreaking. Not just the isolation of seniors and the differently abled, but having to see and hear so many insensitive and cruel things said on the news and in social media claiming lives are expendable. It’s hideous.
Please stay healthy for many decades Charles
A very moving speech.
My Dad is 78 and I am very worried about him. My mom died two months ago and he is all on his own. He is disabled and hasn’t been by himself for over 50 years. This is a real issue that I fear is just going to get worse.
Putnam Princess, I am so sorry to hear this. I hope for both your sakes you are able to be there for each other via phone or Skype for support and reassurance. It’s hard. Praying for you both, take care.
This evil virus is tearing families apart. I am older and at risk, but also an essential employee (transportation and logistics), so I have to go to work. My daughter calls every day and we both end up ugly crying. She always worries if I get it they won’t let her and my 2 grandsons in to see me and say goodbye. She says that would completely break her. I haven’t had my day with my grandsons in 2 weeks and I am getting very depressed. I cry often at home. I am starting to feel doomed.
Hang in there, Wolfy. I am so, so sorry to hear you’re going through this, whoever you are. Thanks for your courage in continuing to do essential work. As my shrink keeps saying via teleconsultation when I worry about the future, you can only really concentrate on the now, getting through the present, as worrying about what *might* happen, maybe, is not productive right now but in fact quite harmful. You’ve got to hang on, just be as careful as you can, try to take care of yourself.
Also, it’s still okay to let yourself cry and drain things out a bit. I try to consider it the brain cleansing itself, and not to be too hard on myself when I’ve got to break down a bit. It’s okay.
All my best to you.