Lockdown
An up-close look at an assisted living facility's efforts to protect its residents.
Bob Warren is 92. He lives in the Twin Creeks Assisted living facility in Central Point, Oregon.
Assisted living facilities have a lot in common with cruise ships: a concentration of vulnerable people with elderly immune systems, in close quarters. It is complicated by the fact that unlike on a cruise ship, in an assisted living facility the staff goes in and out. Assisted living facilities have the potential to be hotspots of infection. Facilities are taking steps, both to protect the residents and to protect the facility from the panic and business interruption that would come from residents beginning to test positive.
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| Warren |
Bob Warren offers this look at life on a lockdown.
Bob Warren Guest Post:
"My predictable, comfortable niche in a retirement home has been rudely overturned by the precautions necessary to resist the advances of Coronavirus from attacking its favorite target: the senior citizen.
In accordance with preventative measures deemed necessary to prevent this deadly virus from decimating our ranks, I and my fellow retirees now live in virtual seclusion: the dining room experience a thing of the past and all activities and social events including the sainted Happy Hour cancelled indefinitely. No more card games, exercise classes, movies, shopping trips, visitors (neither friends nor family.)
The facility has cancelled excursions to gambling sites or celebrations of holidays featuring overflowing buffets and musical entertainment. Gatherings or social functions of any ilk are taboo. Prior to the virus the facility encouraged group activities. It is part of what one wants and pays for: interaction rather than isolation. No longer. Now people sit in their rooms.
In this all-out war, we, the residents, feel fortunate to be sealed in our sanitized (hopefully) cocoon. All transport other than trips involving vital medical procedures have been cancelled. After any outside medical visit readmission requires a mandatory 14-day quarantine in one's apartment. That's right. If we leave the building for any reason--dental emergency, doctor's appointment, anything--upon return we are escorted to our rooms and are forbidden to leave them.
All entrance door are manned to maintain the "no contact" policy. Although the imposition of these measures might seen extreme, the grim statistics detailing the relentless progress of this virus as reported daily in the news more than justify them as necessary to stem the spread of this pandemic. My fellow residents seem to accept them. They are for our benefit, after all.
In our particular establishment we are benefiting as a virtual army made up of employees constantly roam the halls armed with a variety of disinfectants, constantly spraying every possible surface that might play host to the virus. While it is often said (disparagingly) that older generations are highly resistant and hostile to change, any change, the present crisis tells me otherwise. We all deem ourselves very fortunate and are heartened by the ongoing efforts of the staff being expended for our protection.
Since old folks have a reputation for complaining, let me not disappoint. The only truly disheartening aspect of our nation's response to this pandemic has been the intellectual incomprehension of our president in recklessly and repeatedly downgrading the inherent dangers of this lethal malady. Let me offer a chronological record of Donald Trump's insouciant responses to questions concerning the virus.
January 21, 2020: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China, and we have it totally under control."
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| Front door secured. NO VISITORS |
February 20, 2020: "The coronavirus is very much in control in the USA." February 26, 2020. "Risk to American people (coronavirus) remains very low."
March 2, 2020: Suggests a vaccine could be fully developed and deployed within a matter of months. (Contradicted immediately by his own medical science adviser.)
The only positive aspect of the president's lame responses to the virus is that his ignorance is real and he continues to embrace this ignorance by shaking hands with everyone."
4 comments:
At my dad's senior living facility, the residents can leave -- once. If he leaves for any reason, he will not be allowed back in for the duration of the lockdown. Many residents have left to stay with relatives.
What's most interesting to me is that according to most tracked polls, his approval ratings are above 50% on handling the virus. As Sage has said here repeatedly, he is a persuasive spin-master, turning every lemon into lemonade. In spite of his willful ignorance of facts and regular self-contradiction, he maintains credibility among the faithful and is gaining it among the hopeful. Instead of shining the light on his incompetence, how he is spinning this tragedy may be his ticket to reelection.
Thanks Bob,
You have perfectly described our living condition at Senior Living at Cascade in Grants Pass. Since we are in a cottage we can move around but cannot enter the main building . I see too many people in the drug stores talking and behaving as if this event is not that serious . Lack of testing makes people indifferent. No test, no fear . Yes people are waking up....but where in Grants Pass is the drive through testing? Too late, now only testing those in the hospital. Hang in , Bob. And thanks for you contribution to this blog..
Ralph and Gillian Bowman
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