Put this on the prayer thread but probably needs to be here as well. Mum tested positive for Covid-19. As she was in a nursing home, this means that a lot of vulnerable people have been exposed. As even a mild cold could have killed Mum it did not shorten her life by much and might be seen as a blessing but to avoid this situation is precisely why we have lockdown at so many homes.
We are relatively unaffected, Mum would have almost certainly died from any infection she got even a common cold.
Hope you are faring OK @Jengie Jon. Losing a parent at anytime is hard, but now with all the restrictions is so, so tough.
I'm so glad that my mum is safe in a care home, or as safe as she can be. My mother-in-law lives alone with the only help being twice daily visits from younger son and regular (two or three times a week) from younger daughter. Elder daughter and my husband pay more social visit when they can. She is only just coping, can't really prepare food now and is slowly becoming incontinent.
Elder daughter phoned my husband yesterday having lost her temper with her other brother. He is refusing any outside help but is still working in a job where there doesn't seem to be great social isolation. She is understandably concerned that if he gets ill there will be no one to care for his mother. I think she is hoping that I could get there to fill the gap.
I'm not sure that I could. I don't have a car, and would need to get across London, then a train then a bus to get there. Younger daughter who was going to see her mum today got stopped by the police and turned back. She was driving and only lives forty minutes away.
I thought care visits were permitted as essential. I wonder if one could ask the stopping police person to write a note saying that they have instructed a person not to visit the parent needing their presence and sign it.
I'm afraid the Bolshie part of me would be quickly running through the alternative routes I had learned from the satnav. (Though the last time I did something like that it did not end well - there was no information about the reason for the road closure, so we assumed it was local, like a gas main, went up the next road and ended up in riots in Brixton.)
Hi @Penny S , like you I would have been extremely assertive about the necessity of my visit, but I guess my sister in law is not wired like me. I actually think visiting her mum is probably a pretty bad idea unless she decides to move there for the duration. She works as a care worker looking after vulnerable people and her daughter is at home, helping to look after the other grandparents while remotely doing her proper job
Under those circumstances I would agree a bad move.
On the Brixton occasion, we actually had permission from the police to go in and look for my friend's mother, whom we had dropped off at a bus stop, but were prevented by a vigilante group at a road block from going down the road which would have found her early on. They were less reasonable than the police. I know when to pull assertive or not. We went down the next road again.
It's odd to remember, now, how she had walked through everything because she wanted to get to visit her MiL, and not be put off, accompanied by a West Indian man she knew and happened to meet, who would have been some protection. She was so strong minded back then, and then became so incapable of doing things that needed doing, even while deemed to have capacity. Her son went off into the area to look for her, and I parked outside their house and waited and waited because I was the only person who knew what they were doing, if anything happened to either of them.
No mobile phones back then.
She was declared fit for discharge three or more times during her two month stay in hospital after a fall, but ( to recap) while waiting to go home, various other problems arose, not being able to swallow, bowel incontinence, then refusing to eat, and other issues including norovirus. The Home where she lives kept trying to get additional funding for staff to cater for her extra needs, but she has now gone home and is eating and taking her meds.
I had a feeling she would improve once she got back to familiar surroundings.
I am not sure if she understands why she has had no visitors for a while, and of course there is the concern that Coronavirus may find its way into the Home, but for the moment at least, things are looking up.
Excellent news, Puzzler!! I'm so glad things are looking up!
Dad's 90th birthday is Good Friday. (Did I already post this somewhere? I've got bronchitis, so no brain.)
I was really feeling down about not being able to spend it with him because 1. Covid and 2. bronchitis.
When I shared this with my group of friends, one of them came up with the idea of a car parade! So, Friday, we will meet at the street in front of my home, and Daughter-Unit is bringing balloons and decorations, and we will drive to M&D's home with horns blaring and sing happy birthday to Dad from our cars!!
I was afraid some neighbors might get concerned and call the sheriff, so I let them know what was going to happen, and they just might send a couple of deputies to join in!!!
With all the stuff going on, I'm really excited about this!
Sometime upthread I mentioned being concerned about my mother who is now 95 and my brother who just turned 60 but had dementia. Well, three months ago it was determined he had lung cancer. The family decided not to fight the cancer. Today he died. And I could not be with the family. I had been calling down there every morning for the past month. This past week we had been calling each other twice a day. This evening I had planned on using the Lutheran Last Rites (yes we do have them) over the phone with him, but when my sister-in-law went to give him his afternoon medications he was gone. I am feeling numb this evening. Of the two brothers I have, we all knew he would be the first to go.
Rest in Peace,
Glenn Allen
You are with the Lord, now.
For all in Glenn that was good and kind and faithful, thanks be to God! May light perpetual shine on him, and may you and your family know comfort, Gramps49!
Thanks everyone for your prayers for my mum. She seems to be doing OK so far - intermittent high temperature but no other symptoms. The NHS and the prayer warriors of our various church and Ship families are awesome!
Comments
We are relatively unaffected, Mum would have almost certainly died from any infection she got even a common cold.
I'm so glad that my mum is safe in a care home, or as safe as she can be. My mother-in-law lives alone with the only help being twice daily visits from younger son and regular (two or three times a week) from younger daughter. Elder daughter and my husband pay more social visit when they can. She is only just coping, can't really prepare food now and is slowly becoming incontinent.
Elder daughter phoned my husband yesterday having lost her temper with her other brother. He is refusing any outside help but is still working in a job where there doesn't seem to be great social isolation. She is understandably concerned that if he gets ill there will be no one to care for his mother. I think she is hoping that I could get there to fill the gap.
I'm not sure that I could. I don't have a car, and would need to get across London, then a train then a bus to get there. Younger daughter who was going to see her mum today got stopped by the police and turned back. She was driving and only lives forty minutes away.
I'm afraid the Bolshie part of me would be quickly running through the alternative routes I had learned from the satnav. (Though the last time I did something like that it did not end well - there was no information about the reason for the road closure, so we assumed it was local, like a gas main, went up the next road and ended up in riots in Brixton.)
On the Brixton occasion, we actually had permission from the police to go in and look for my friend's mother, whom we had dropped off at a bus stop, but were prevented by a vigilante group at a road block from going down the road which would have found her early on. They were less reasonable than the police. I know when to pull assertive or not. We went down the next road again.
It's odd to remember, now, how she had walked through everything because she wanted to get to visit her MiL, and not be put off, accompanied by a West Indian man she knew and happened to meet, who would have been some protection. She was so strong minded back then, and then became so incapable of doing things that needed doing, even while deemed to have capacity. Her son went off into the area to look for her, and I parked outside their house and waited and waited because I was the only person who knew what they were doing, if anything happened to either of them.
No mobile phones back then.
I hope she makes a full recovery.
She was declared fit for discharge three or more times during her two month stay in hospital after a fall, but ( to recap) while waiting to go home, various other problems arose, not being able to swallow, bowel incontinence, then refusing to eat, and other issues including norovirus. The Home where she lives kept trying to get additional funding for staff to cater for her extra needs, but she has now gone home and is eating and taking her meds.
I had a feeling she would improve once she got back to familiar surroundings.
I am not sure if she understands why she has had no visitors for a while, and of course there is the concern that Coronavirus may find its way into the Home, but for the moment at least, things are looking up.
Dad's 90th birthday is Good Friday. (Did I already post this somewhere? I've got bronchitis, so no brain.)
I was really feeling down about not being able to spend it with him because 1. Covid and 2. bronchitis.
When I shared this with my group of friends, one of them came up with the idea of a car parade! So, Friday, we will meet at the street in front of my home, and Daughter-Unit is bringing balloons and decorations, and we will drive to M&D's home with horns blaring and sing happy birthday to Dad from our cars!!
I was afraid some neighbors might get concerned and call the sheriff, so I let them know what was going to happen, and they just might send a couple of deputies to join in!!!
With all the stuff going on, I'm really excited about this!
Glenn Allen
You are with the Lord, now.
🕯 🕯 🕯
May he rest in peace and rise in glory 🕯 🕯 🕯
So sorry to hear about your brother @Gramps49
What a great idea @jedijudy - that sounds brilliant
JJ, what an excellent idea - happy birthday to your dad!
Thanks everyone for your prayers for my mum. She seems to be doing OK so far - intermittent high temperature but no other symptoms. The NHS and the prayer warriors of our various church and Ship families are awesome!