(Snippets from the frontline)
COVID-19: No visitors allowed
Our mother, who is 98 years old, lives close by. Because of potential exposure to the coronavirus, I sometimes have to avoid visits fearing contamination, but figured out a solution using FaceTime.
Hospitals now have restricted visitation, but it does not mean the loss of contact with your loved one. Many older adults though are not adept utilizing present technology. So if your family member or friend lacks understanding using smart phones, this is the time to update their skills, even if you meet with resistance.
If hospitalized, you can leave a phone in their room, and if needed, a doctor, nurse, or CNA could help. What happens though if they are extremely ill in the ICU, and cannot respond?
Think about this, at a time when they might need you the most in life, you would not be there. Will they feel abandoned, alone, or isolated? No one wants this for their loved one.
I hope hospitals will consider a humane way of allowing one family member to be with their loved one possibly using protective equipment including masks, gloves, and gowns.
These problems are a moving target, so we must figure out a solution.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
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