While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought alarm and concern about what may be the biggest health concern to face the elderly in recent history, it has also brought support and assurance to residents and staff alike via heartwarming stories.
Just about every facility has such stories, and the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has dedicated a website for them.
Anyone can visit
www.carenotcovid.org to learn how to send messages, photos, and videos to residents in a center. The site also features a unique collection of uplifting stories. What follows are excerpts of some of the stories of support.
Singing Every Day
John Kline has been married to his wife, Ann, for 45 years. Ann has Alzheimer’s disease and receives care at John Knox Manor, a nursing center in Montgomery, Ala. Because of restrictions on visitors, John cannot visit Ann in person, so he visits her window instead.
Every day he sings her “Amazing Grace” through her window. He says he does not want her to forget him during their forced separation. A video of John and Ann singing together was shot by an employee and at press time had 58,000 views and 1,400 shares. This story was originally published on foxnews.com.
Wanted: Unused Electronics
A man in Frankenmuth, Mich., came up with a novel idea: collect and donate electronics to individuals who need them in nursing centers.
Much like the rest of the country, visitors to Michigan’s centers are temporarily banned in order to protect residents from catching COVID-19. So residents and staff have turned to electronics to help keep them connected with family and friends.
“If ya know, the restrictions continue for three weeks or longer, this can be devastating to them as far as having any family contact,” said Adam Beller, who is seeking donations. “So I think it’s very important.”
Beller contacted the Frankenmuth city manager, who offered to put a drop box inside city hall for residents who’d like to donate. He encourages everyone to wipe down electronics before donating them.
“We just have to be neighborly and have some humanity during this crisis right now,” he said.
Staying Connected
Just about everyone is taking precautions to help slow the spread of coronavirus, and residents at long term and post-acute care centers are no exception. For the elderly residents at The Harmony at Brentwood in Brentwood, Tenn., the distance is critical as the facility is on lockdown.
Brentwood musician David DeLoach’s mother is a resident at The Harmony, and he didn’t want her to feel alone, so he brought his guitar to the facility and played it outside, at least 40 feet away. As he played, other elderly residents joined from their balconies.
Amy Mendoza