This might seem selfish but I feel robbed by COVID. Robbed of the precious time with my mother whom has vascular dementia. During the COVID shutdowns of long-term care facilities in Canada I was unable to visit my mother which I was doing regularly through the week. I understood the need to close the homes because COVID was tearing through homes and a lot of seniors were at risk. Wasn't easy on me or many people in the same situation as myself. Even though I was able to talk daily on the phone with her it wasn't the same as being there holding her hand. Over the past year in total on and off I would say the home was shut to all visitors for about 8 months. Because of my regular visitations prior to COVID I was considered an essential worker, and finally allowed to visit. But here's the thing, mom's different now. The disease has stolen more of her during this past year and I feel like I missed so much time with her. Yesterday I had to come to terms with the fact that my mother is entering the last-stage of her dementia. F*ck I wish I had that time back.
Sad situation that should have been handled differently.
Yes, for those of us who have survived, LEARN from this. Value your life and loved ones. Don't stress over the little stuff and hold a grudge, you never know what tomorrow, or even the next hour, holds for you. When things return to a more normal state, make up for that lost time. Spend more time with your friends, family and LOs. Be grateful you all came through on the other side.
I didn't lose my mother to the virus, but we did lose her during the lockdown. I was allowed to be there with her at the end, following a second stroke, but it was really too late by then. She made eye contact and seemed to try smiling when I first got there, but she never said a word. They used meds to keep her "comfortable", but she never really came back to any semblance of contact.
Take your blessing people and relish them. Make up for lost time while you can.
Today I read that half of Americans are anxious in some way towards coming out of lock-down and restarting social interactions.
The pandemic has stole the opportunity, as with you DarleneRoy, in spending these precious time with your love ones at the last stage of their lives. The lack of social interactions accelerates memory lose/dementia. My heart aches when I hear the social isolation of our elders. It's not humane when we allow our elders to pass away without loved ones by their bedside.
This pandemic has taken so much from the global society. I hope we learn from this, study what we did right or wrong, and take these lessons should we encounter future pandemics.
I read a lot of history, and it was worse in the 13thC Black Death (one third of the population of Europe dead) and the 17thC Great Plague. Body carts in the street calling out ‘Bring out your dead’, mass pit graves, white crosses on doors with disease inside, and a hideously painful way to die. If they knew then what we know now about causes and transmission, they could have stopped it in the same ways that we are doing now. At least we suffer the disruptions for a good reason. Courage!
Bst wishes.
our actions as effecting other people.
You think COVID was bad! Its going to get worse in this Country. Me I am 72 so I may not be effected by the changes but I am sure my daughters will be and my grandsons. I so hope I raised my girls to get thru whats coming. Because there are a lot of Americans who won't.
Yes, our elderly in homes suffered. Their families suffered with worry. I just got a message from a friend in a NH. He is quarantined to his room and no visitors allowed. I am so lucky my Mom passed before all this. Not sure how I would have handled it. But I live in a small populated area so maybe I would have found a nurse or aide to give me updates on Mom.
We have to become a United America to fight what ever comes.
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