My Parents Both Have COVID 19
And I'm pissed
Why? Because this is another unnecessary episode in the $#itshow that has been 2020. Because we have now come to point where politicization of objective science and equally objectively ludicrous conspiracy theories apparently have equal merit in the name of "balance" in the news cycle.
There was a time when we as a nation rallied excitedly behind science to achieve the dream of a moon shot. Now we have a large percentage of our population that has been so bludgeoned by alternative "facts" as to be convinced that the wearing of a mask (as DOCTORS and SURGEONS do every day to protect and be protected) is somehow an infringement on their freedoms.
I know this argument has been made before, but indulge me, oh snowflakes who don't want to wear a mask because it's uncomfortable or you think it means that you get less oxygen or too much carbon dioxide, or, what? It leaves a mark on your face? It fogs your glasses? It messes up your makeup? It's "the man, telling you what to do?" F*&k you. It's a small sacrifice to make, and is a joke compared to the rations and other sacrifices this country happily endured, for example, during WWII for. . . what? The. Greater. Good.
The background
My parents are in their early 80s. Both have dementia. The last time my dad left the house (before the visit last week to the doctor that delivered his, and my mother's positive diagnosis) was a month ago, when I took them for their flu shots. His vascular dementia has mostly affected him physically, rendering him incapable of most aspects of self-care, and now, the ability to get himself into and out of bed, or to even walk a few steps.
Mom's dementia is different, likely exacerbated by hearing loss. She loses words. She gets frustrated. Agitated. Confused. Angry. The angry part was always there-- I have said in the past that anger is her default emotion. The dementia amplifies it. As does the non-stop blaring of her choice of TV "news" media. I watch as it pushes all her fear and anger buttons. If faced with the unavailability of television, she will fall back to talk radio that stokes the same emotions. I used to try to discuss these things. It was fruitless. I was the enemy. I gave up in the name of peace.
Because of their dementia and its effects, we have caregivers in place to support them, 12 hours a day, seven days a week. I'm there several times a week, and recently, daily. When they received their positive diagnosis last week, I assumed that, despite all the precautions taken by their caregivers every day, either one of the caregivers (or I!) must have been the vector that infected my parents.
The plot thickens
Yet, all have tested negative thus far. Including me.
As I communicated updates to my sister last week, she enlightened me to something I didn't know, which my mother had shared with her in a recent phone conversation. With apparent glee, she laughed while she told my sister how she sometimes "forgets" her mask when she goes grocery shopping (she may have dementia, but she knows she's supposed to wear a mask. There is always one in her purse). She waits for someone to approach her to "remind" her before she'll put it on.
So, let's lay out our facts:
1) Everyone who has come into my parents' home in the past two to three weeks has tested negative (I might also add that the caregivers are required to get tested every two weeks anyway);
2) My dad has had no contact with anyone during that time outside of their home;
3) My mother has gone grocery shopping at least twice in the past three weeks. While doing so, she has decided to sometimes not wear a mask while in public until someone asks her to put one on.
I should note that I offered, months ago as this all began, to do the shopping for my mother to keep her from being exposed. This irritated her. How dare I try to take away her one shred of independence? So I let her have her independence with a warning: "you'd better make sure you always wear your mask."
I believe it is safe to conclude, based upon these facts, that my mother managed to be in the right place at the right time, failing to take the right actions, which made it easy for the virus to do what it does so masterfully: propagate itself through any available host.
The punch line
So here we are. It would be a stretch to arrive at any conclusion other than this: my mother brought this upon herself. And upon my father. So yeah. I'm pissed.
My mother used to be more rational, despite her propensity for anger. Now the toxic combination of her dementia, her emotional nature, and the constant drum of conflicting information she gets from the single-sourced media flowing into her brain have combined in the worst way.
But I bite my tongue and leave my rage in the car with every trip I make to their house to check in and take their temperatures and blood oxygen readings (three times a day). Overall their conditions have worsened in the past week, but they fluctuate from fine to concerning and back again.
It's become quite difficult to find caregivers who are willing to put themselves at risk to help my parents. Their main caregiver has been a trooper, but the ongoing coverage is a juggling act. They receive full PPE from the agency, but these wonderful souls signed up to be companions and caregivers, not medical professionals dealing with a highly infectious virus. I don't blame any one of them a single bit for opting out.
No perfect solutions
I'm working with the transitional care nurse at my parents' doctors' office to get visiting nurses in place as an immediate solution for ongoing assessment. That way I can stop putting myself (and, by extension, my husband, who has emphysema) at risk by taking their vitals multiple times each day.
Simultaneously, given the level of close contact that my father's care requires, we all agree that the best course of action will be getting both of them into a COVID-certified care facility ASAP, where they would remain until they get the all-clear. So we're also working on that. This assumes, of course, that their blood oxygen or other vitals don't hit a point that demands hospitalization before that.
Don't let this happen to you
If you're in a high risk group, don't expose yourself to this virus unnecessarily. Here are some ideas:
Let people shop for you. Spend that time going for a walk in the fresh air instead, or visiting in a socially distanced, safe way with friends or loved ones. If you can't go for a walk, sit outside, or near an open window.
Turn off the news. Stop doing as many things as you can control that cause you anxiety or anger or evince any other negative emotion. Over-production of cortisol (the hormone our bodies release when our "fight or flight" response gets triggered) is linked to suppression of immune response.
Get your flu shot (there is reason to believe that it may help boost your immune response if you do contract this virus).
Eat healthy, fresh foods as much as possible. Drink plenty of fluids.
And everyone, for the love of God, yourself, and your fellow citizens, WEAR A MASK.