Real Caregiver Stories | Families And Workers Living Through The Coronavirus Crisis
Caregivers are ground zero for the pandemic. Millions of Americans are connected to our health facilities and organizations that help seniors live life to the fullest. Each caregiver has a story to tell.
Meet Amy — A Certified Nursing Assistant
Nursing home residents who expect Amy’s hugs can’t receive them. When they search her face for a smile, it is hidden behind a mask. Nowadays, she can’t give the same degree of comfort senior residents need. Amy is determined to protect the people she cares for from any unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Amy, who doesn’t want her employer or her last name identified, is a certified nursing assistant at a time when the pandemic has claimed so many lives of those living or working in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Yet, she is still honored to continue doing her job after 23 years of providing dementia care at home.
Several cases of the virus have been confirmed in the Maryland facility where she works, and currently, about 20 others who’ve been exposed are awaiting test results. So far, no one at her facility has died from the virus, as far as she knows.
Nursing assistants who provide long-term care help the most vulnerable tackle everyday living. They wake, bathe, and feed those in their care. They apply their makeup, usher them to activities, and remain a constant presence. They also provide opportunities to promote healthy brains while keeping socially distant.
Faithfully Fighting COVID-19
The pandemic has made being there for seniors harder than ever. Residents with dementia can’t understand Amy’s distance. Certified nursing assistants spend the most time with patients, do the groundwork, and know their worth. Moreover, her commitment and faith to the people who she cares for keep her focused.
Shortages in personal protective equipment in hospitals grab headlines and prompt action. Still, Amy must wear the same surgical mask daily, tucking it into a brown paper bag at the end of each shift for safekeeping. Unless it tears or gets visibly soiled, it won’t be replaced. The same goes for the N95 mask she wears when around residents with COVID-19.
She’s as vigilant as she can be, staying healthy and washing her hands while refusing to shop and rarely going beyond the nursing home or her home. She worries about her senior residents’ mental and physical health, who aren’t responsible for the viruses that others introduce, including physicians, administrators, and delivery drivers.
We Thank You
We know that this is a challenging time, and thank you for your continued trust in our home care services. We take our responsibility as home care providers seriously and want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to focus on helping combat COVID-19.
We understand your concerns regarding this illness and are fully committed to the health and safety of every person we care for. Especially during times when dementia care in assisted living facilities are threatened, we strive to provide the best at home care.
The Ad Firm