We are now upon an auspicious anniversary--the one year anniversary of the shutdown from COVID and all the chaos it has caused. On the typical anniversary you usually celebrate something, but this certainly isn't worth celebrating with the tragedy of over half a million Americans, and 2.5 million worldwide left dead in its wake. My heart just breaks for all the people that died without their families being able to be at their side. And I say the same for the families that had to grieve the loss without being with their loved one. The trauma that the caregivers have borne because of extreme fatigue and the sadness they have had to see and endure. I think it is safe to say that things will never be the same as prepandemic. I think of all the people whose heart or lungs are permanently damaged and who are suffering from a lot of strange symptoms. And this is just the visible tip of the iceberg. I hate to name them as I am sure I will leave some out, but just for starters there is the depression, loneliness, the loss of things we traditionally celebrate, like weddings, graduations, birthdays, even funerals and memorial services. The loss of learning in a school environment, being able to be around other children, and even loss of school lunches. The economic impact with loss of jobs, people going hungry and loss of homes and apartments from not being able to pay the rent or mortgage and the loss of income to the landlords that have to pay their mortgages. The increase in domestic violence and any violence due to the pent up anxieties. And the trickle down effects--I just heard that there are many semi trucks full of mail just sitting in Maryland because there is no one there qualified to drive them. So that is where my Christmas cards from Maryland are!
But it seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Three vaccines are out, and in spite of distribution moving frustratingly slowly, things are looking up. I have had both of my Moderna vaccines, and the two weeks has passed since the second one, so hopefully I have some good immunity. All the residents at Hillside Village where Bob is have received theirs, and 70% of the staff have gotten theirs, which is a commendable number, as other health care facilities and long term care facilities the number is more like 50-60% of the staff have received them, as it is on a voluntary basis. It cannot be mandatory like the flu shots I have heard, because the vaccines are under emergency status. I just hope that number will increase as more people see that whatever the side effects are, it is better than having COVID. Bob recovered well from the COVID with the help of steroids, as did the other residents, and visits opened up again in the enclosed visiting pavilion. But no sooner than that happened, and they had to be shut down again because of frigid cold. There is about a 10 foot outside space between the building and the pavilion, and it was just too cold to take people out! But I have seen him twice now in the pavilion and I had my hand on the glass, and he reached out like he wanted to take my hand! And now things are looking even brighter! The guidelines are changing day by day and soon they can open up in person visits again! They asked for volunteers to help monitor the visit and guess who volunteered! I think the visits at first will be socially distanced and with masks on, but they will be inside in the parlors, so not weather dependent. I am so excited with this development, and will be even more excited when we can touch. I asked for compensation that when I am there volunteering, I could stop in and see Bob for a few minutes before I left, and I promised to follow the guidelines. Kind of hard to kiss with a mask on!
There is one more breakthrough that sounds exciting. It is in the winter Alzheimer's Science News magazine. It states "The Precivity AD test is now available in 45 states. It does not involve any radiation and is noninvasive, requiring only a small blood sample. The sample is sent to C2N's laboratory for analysis by mass spectrometry, and a healthcare provider will discuss the results with a patient. These features make the test more accessible than other diagnostic methods that physicians use to evaluate issues with memory and thinking, and could pave the way for earlier diagnosis and treatment and greater enrollment in clinical trials." And I have seen programs that because of all the funding and money put into helping develop the vaccines, other programs may benefit. Some of the mRNA ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are thought to maybe be of benefit in curing cancer. But it was difficult to get the funding for that study before. And last week on the TV show 60 Minutes they reported on the unusual path fluvoxamine, (Luvox) a drug commonly used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, has had to be an early treatment candidate for COVID-19. What great side effects these would be!
My brother has asked for me to revisit the financial aspect of Alzheimer's and dementia care. I have not felt like addressing something so weighty during COVID as I felt everyone was struggling enough. But it has been a sad year for that was well, as the Alzheimer's offices have been shut down (they will talk to you on the phone) and our support group has had to meet by Zoom. That is nothing like meeting in person! And people that are needed to place their loved ones in a facility can't go and look at them or can't admit them to a facility as they aren't accepting residents during COVID or the relatives couldn't visit after admission to reassure themselves and their loved ones as they would have to quarantine after admission. So next month I will probably tackle that again, as it was early on in my blogs that I talked about it. And it is such an important component!
When my arms can't reach people who are close to my heart, I always hug them with my prayers.
Hugs to you, Betty
