Almost every day, Randy Latta would pick up his mother, Virgina, from Greystone Assisted Living in Iola and take her for a drive.
They’d go visit the family farm and look at the cows. Sometimes, they’d shop at a local store.
They’d talk about current events and he’d give updates on family members, or reminisce about life before dementia struck Virginia’s mind. She couldn’t always remember the details, so Randy would fill her in.
That all ended in mid-March, when the novel coronavirus stopped visitations at nursing homes, assisted living homes and other types of healthcare facilities.
Randy and relatives of other residents who had visited on a daily basis were limited to phone calls and video chats. Sometimes, if the weather allowed, they’d go to the window and chat from a safe distance.
Virginia struggles to understand what’s happening, why Randy’s in-person visits and the car rides have stopped. Her son has explained the virus to her, again and again. Sometimes, she talks about how it reminds her of the polio epidemic. Other days, she doesn’t quite get it.
“She does, but she doesn’t,” Randy said. “I don’t think anybody really understands what’s happening right now, though.”
It’s the same for Susan Haddan and her mother, Ruth Wood.
Susan visited her mother two or three days a week before the virus. She would take part in activities, calling Bingo numbers and playing the piano at lunchtime.
Ruth celebrated her 102nd birthday on March 9, just days before the facility was closed to visitors. Susan was there that day, throwing a party.
“I’m so thankful we were able to celebrate her birthday before all of this happened. It would have been sad to have missed a milestone like that.”
Now, Ruth is confused. The staff has set up video calls on the computer, and Susan has given her hand-written letters. Ruth is glad to receive phone calls, but can’t quite hear or understand.
“I hate to hang up on her,” Susan said.
She’s been able to come to the front door and talk to Ruth from a safe distance. She can tell Ruth is happy to see a familiar face, even if she wasn’t quite sure who it was or why the visitor wasn’t coming inside.
“To go from two or three days a week to nothing is quite a change,” Susan said. “I miss her. I miss going there. I will be glad when I can go back.”
THE COVID-19 restrictions have been difficult for all the residents, representatives of local assisted care facilities said.
“They’re just very tired of the wait. they want to get out and get back to normal, and visit family and friends and get back to church,” Peggy Strong, executive director for Greystone and Arrowood Lane Assisted Living in Humboldt, said. “Not being able to get out and go to church has been the hardest. And it’s been pretty hard on those who have memory problems.”
