I Work in a Nursing Home on Lockdown. There Is So Much Loneliness Here.
How the coronavirus is affecting the day-to-day life of my residents — and my own mental health
After the first case of the coronavirus was reported in our state of New York, day-to-day life at the nursing home where I work seemed to change overnight. As the medical director of our facility told the administrators, it’s not a matter of if the virus hits our area — but when.
The elderly residents I work with are among the most at-risk groups for a global pandemic that’s spreading faster than we can keep up. Many are now anxious for anything to occupy their time after state officials ruled that everyone except staff and medical personnel would be banned from entering the facility. Extreme circumstances warrant an exception, of course. But many of the 144 residents under our care are growing lonely and bored without their families.
“Are we going to have a movie this afternoon? Something, anything?” one resident asked me as I walked by him the other day. He’s been missing his son and their regular Dunkin’ coffee and football game time.
There wouldn’t be a movie playing that afternoon because the nursing staff needed the TV for a training session on how to deal with the coronavirus. Nursing…
