The Halls Are Empty
Written by Christian Gausvik
Topics: Dr. G, MD
Published: Aug 3, 2020
The halls are empty. The COVID Pandemic of 2020 has kept visitors away from nursing homes across our city for months now and it’s weighing heavily on loved ones. Imagine the pain of separation, lacking the comfort of a familiar face when memory is already fading. Sitting alone with the company of a dedicated and compassionate staff but still deeply missing your family. Closures and limiting visitors is what the country’s nursing homes have had to do to protect our most vulnerable from being ravaged by a virus deadly to many in this age group.
This is why we must do better, wear your mask, stop this spread and most importantly call your family in nursing homes. The number of people I’ve encountered in my work just this last week suffering because of social isolation is astounding. I visited one nursing home and saw patients only through the window. At another, one resident reminisced to me on the joy of a visit from family through the window and another wished and hoped family would call to check in. While healthcare professionals have the privilege of being able to go inside the walls to care for your family and friends, it will never be the same as a visit from family.
We must do better. Our senior neighbors, our elder friends, our grandparents need us. This is a call to change the way we care for our older adults as they age but also a reminder of why we wear our masks and why we must defeat this virus. Don’t let their stories fade. Check out our most recent project <link> and use the Cincy Senior Stories questions as a way to connect with your loved one while we tell the stories of Cincinnati’s older adults one photo at a time.
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