Hi All,
My mom is currently living at her townhome with Visiting Angels coming in for four hours every day. I go by on Saturdays to see her and make sure she has food, clean, etc. She is able to dress herself and toilet without issues. She has dementia and cannot remember things except things that happen in the past. Before Covid-19 we were looking at Assisted Living places, we had looked at couple of places and then Covid started and facilities were locked down. I put the move on hold for now. My mom watches a lot of TV about the virus and seems to think that she gets it every day. Although the Visiting Angels resource will take her temperature and check her symptoms and all is fine. She seems to be very angry at me that I am not there with her every day (she thinks of me as a small child). I have a full time job and a family and I am feeling very torn about leaving her in her house with all that is going on. We have a strained relationship and I feel if I bring her into my home, that we will just argue and our relationship will be worse. I cannot get her into an Assisted Living place at this time as they are not accepting new people. I don't know what to do. Do I bring her here and suffer through it until facilities open back up? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Family members who decide that on balance elders' welfare will be more adversely affected by their absence than by risk of exposure to infection should maintain distance either by staying in a different room or by speaking to the person through a window. They should also adopt infection control procedures currently mandated for social care workers, which require adherence to the "Five Moments" hand washing guidelines + correct donning of surgical mask, gloves and apron.
As the OP's mother is fully supported by professional caregivers I'd have thought it would be not only safer but also a lot easier for the OP to skip the visits.
ALs near me are accepting asymptomatic move ins as long as the families understand there will be a 14 day isolation (all the residents are isolated at this point anyway) and that you understand there is NO visiting.
for her. Nursing homes are staffed by low wage workers, many well meaning but to survive some must work 7 days per week at different homes and this has been part of the infectious spread of Covid-19. Also, fall rates and lonely deaths often at higher rates in institutional care. Its lucrative business right now for developers and physician entrepreneurs to develop and promote nursing home care as the best option for our aging loved ones—but follow the money. You cannot buy love.