Covid-19 and Aging

A new dimension to an already challenging situation 🎢

I planned my “Role reversal” writing debut with the topic “Losing sense of time”. However, I want to share some breaking news about Covid-19 and aging. 

My mother moved into a nursing home in early March 2020 – ten days before Switzerland went into lockdown. Until the end of May, I was not allowed to enter the nursing home to visit my mother. However, I could see her for a brief period of time outside of the building, maintaining a distance of two meters, or about six feet. I was very happy to have the opportunity to see Mom, but Covid-19 forbade me from giving her my usual hug and three kisses on the cheek. Visits without physical contact felt like an unfinished work of art, but at the same time I was glad Mom had not contracted the disease. 

Fortunately, the summer and fall brought relief in the sense that I could visit Mom either in her room, in the nursing home’s café, or on its terrace. When I was indoors, I had to wear a mask, but while Mom and I were outdoors, I could take the mask off. We went on walks, and drank coffee and ate sweets, which Mom always enjoyed doing during the afternoon.  

At the end of October 2020, I received a phone call from the nursing home. The staff suspected that at least one of the residents had contracted Covid-19. Well, suspicion turned into reality. Fifteen residents tested positive, including Mom.  The nursing home was – for the second time – metaphorically barricaded. Neither family members nor visitors were allowed in, and the residents were not allowed to leave the premises. To make matters worse, my mother fell twice in one day, which through her back significantly, so much so, that – according to the nurses – she refused to get out of bed until not one, but two nurses came to help her stand up. She also needed more help getting dressed and going to the bathroom. I was very relieved that she was receiving 24/7-care in the nursing home, but at the same time, I was extremely worried if a) she would recover from her Covid infection and b) her cognitive abilities would take an even quicker turn for the worse. 

I tried several times to contact Mom by phone, but she didn’t pick up. When I called the nurses’ station and mentioned this to the nurse, she said to me, “I’m not sure your mother can answer the phone anymore”. The nurse told me she doubted whether my mother recognized it was the phone that was ringing. That really threw me for a loop. I thought, “Wow, Mom’s cognitive decline is moving along at lightning speed”. 

As I had done on several occasions after Mom entered the nursing home, I called its FaceTime number so I could not only talk to Mom, but also see her, and she could see me. If Covid was going to keep face-to-face gatherings at bay, it didn’t mean that we couldn’t see each other at all! I always breathed a BIG sigh of relief when she recognized me and said my name several times. Boy, talk about cherishing the small things in life! 

At the end of November, the nursing home reopened its doors to visitors. My husband Marius and I visited Mom early December. I was very happy to see her again after about a month and a half, but at the same time, I was shocked to see the state in which she was. At least as far as anyone could tell, Mom had recovered well from her Covid infection. However, her “double fall” in one day seemed to have set her back. Mom’s face didn’t have its natural, brownish tint, but rather a grayish tint…something I had never seen before. Mom moved at a snail’s pace, and I wasn’t sure if she even knew Marius and I were there. Just before 2020 ended, I visited Mom. The brownish tint in her face had returned, and Mom was moving much better. We reminisced about her childhood and mine. I was so happy to see that she was doing much better than at the beginning of December, and Mom thanked me for coming! Mom’s cognitive health continues to decline, but I’ll spend much more time on that subject.

Jackie (standing) and her Mom

I did want to share the developments of the last few months related to “Covid and aging” with you. I’m sure I’ll return to this topic at some point, but let’s suffice it to say that Covid-19 has added a new dimension to an already difficult situation that affects people living in a nursing home. For me, the last three years have been an emotional roller coaster ride, and Covid-19 has added a few more loops! 

The “Covid-19 and aging” roller coaster ride

Having said this, I hope you’ll join me on a journey that began in 2017.