Posted 4-28-20
No time for a number post today! 🙁 Just a quick post today as I am jam packed with scheduling today. Yesterday, at 3pm, our Governor Parson announced his Show Me Strong Recovery Plan. Under this plan, most businesses will be allowed to open freely, but with social distancing guidelines in place.
One aspect of this plan that will receive a little less press is that senior populations are asked to follow federal CDC guidelines and use a higher level of care. With this in mind, nursing homes and residential care facilities will remain closed to the public other than in situations of end-of-life or extreme care cases. (The Shawshank Re:Dementia tally continues…) Senior centers, typically operated with employees and programs of your local Area Agency on Aging, such as the one who employs me, are requested to stay the course until we see what the first phase of the recovery brings. We will be monitoring this thoroughly and will reopen as soon as it is safe. Currently these new orders will be reevaluated by the governor’s office/recovery team on 5/31/20.
My encouragement to you and to be glad… but keep safe. If you are a senior, slowly ease back into your routine, and use the distancing routine we are used to now, at least until all is clear. A governor’s pronouncement does nothing to stop or start a spread of a disease…so be safe.
Why do I say this?
The vast majority of deaths by COVID-19 have been in the senior community and, most notably, in nursing homes and with the oldest segments of the senior population. In nursing homes, these numbers are even higher because of the number of advanced directives requiring that no heroic measures are made. Some of these folks, including those with dementia, could likely be saved through the use of a ventilator, but these are typically prohibited by their advanced directive.
Note: Have this advanced directive conversation early in life. It is uncomfortable, but it needs to happen. Note: No judgement here either way. It is a personal decision, but one that should be made by the person and not the poor family later, sometimes with insufficient information.
So… off we go, in many cases, back into our new normal life. Let’s hope and pray the economy recovers quickly from this mess. Be safe! Losing a senior is every bit as important as losing anyone!
#EndALZ