Do you know an elderly person living in a retirement home ?

How is life for them right now ?
I just chatted with my mother who lives in such a place. She and pretty much most residents there are getting depressed. I haven't been allowed to visit her in months and for good reason.
However, all things considered, it looks like they will not be allowed vistors for their own safety until some time next year.

They can't leave their rooms unless they are wearing a mask. They now eat in their room and not in the dining hall.

Life for them is sucking, but it's for their own good.
It's quite a terrible conundrum.

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Heartlander · 80-89, M

if possible, it may be advisable to remove elderly parents and relatives from nursing homes and bring them home until the nursing homes find a better way to deal with the virus. With more people unemployed and/or working from home, there may be the opportunity to care for them at home and with home help nurses if needed.

Otherwise, you may wish to check the policies and practices for how your nursing home is handling the crisis. Are the hospitals sending contagious nursing home residents back to nursing homes where they can pass the virus to staff and other residents? Nursing homes have an intense level of physical contact between residents and staff, and as the staff moves from one resident to another the virus can pass the diseases to everyone within just a few days.

Wraithorn · 51-55, M

@Heartlander Yes, thanks for all of that food for thought. From past experience with the staff who work there I think they really do care for the residents. For certain reasons I think it's best that she stays there. It's just mentally stressful though, mostly for her.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@Wraithorn Understandably. Just moving a nursing home resident from there may be risky. It can be a very fragile population where some may not survive a simple transfer from one facility to another, or moving back home. It's one reason why state authorities are reluctant to shut down non compliance facilities.