What would it be like to be all alone away from your family? You could see pictures of them, but you couldn't touch them or connect with them. You have hardly anyone to talk to, and you have no one to play with. I'm sure not many of us would be too enthusiastic about those arrangements. 

Sadly, many nursing home residents in the country were forced to live this life, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, nursing home facilities were forced to shut down to protect the residents. This caused many elderly people to lose contact with family members. I had the opportunity to interview a friend who worked in a nursing home during the first few months of the shut-down. She gave me so much information about how her job changed after everything shut down, and how it affected the residents. 

    I'm sure you all remember, in March, how hard it was to find toilet paper. So many needed supplies were hard to get. The nursing homes also had a hard time getting equipment. They had to ration their supplies, and reuse whatever they could, as many times as they could. The staff had to wear more personal protection equipment (PPE).

They had to get a weekly covid test, and their temperatures had to be taken every day before work. They also marked off one section of the nursing home to quarantine the residents who tested positive. Only specific nurses were allowed to work in that section, to protect the other residents. My friend explained to me how the nurses' jobs got easier without all the visitors around. When there were visitors they would have to stop what they were doing to answer questions and point people in the right direction. Though it seemed easier for the nurses, it was very bad for the residents.

    One of the biggest issues for the elderly during this shut down was the isolation and lack of socialization. The nurses were there to take care of them, but nurses aren't always able to spend time with them and love them. When everything shut down, all of the activities were canceled. 

Many residents went from frequent socialization to no socialization. Of course, when possible, residents were able to communicate with family members virtually, but it doesn't give the person the same security as someone holding their hand.  

 

I hope that this blog helped you to understand the importance of taking care of the elderly. Even something as small as getting a card will encourage and hopefully cheer those people who struggled so much because of Covid. I hope you all find the time to make a Christmas card or two. 

    

    

    

Make a Christmas card

Submit it to the 4-H office on December 10