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And people gathering for church meetings and being forced to disband, but protesters are crazy-roaming the streets----

The disparity is glaring and I have no answers. Just a sadness in my heart for the way the worst in people seems to be on display for the world.

Yet. I still believe that there are more good, kind people than the nuts running around being crazy.
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"What is the option?" Would you prefer people coming and going and the resulting deaths of elders, your own loved one, the loved ones of other people? Do you have other details and options you would like to tell us about?
The youth protesting in the streets are not truly at risk statistically. Their elders are. You may, of course, take your elder into your home and care. This would require your own strict protocol. This is a pandemic. All are doing the best they can. No options are good.
My brother's best friend in Assisted Living (his is covid free) had to go to hospital, now to rehab and is in a facility with 13 patients, two in hospital and two staff members with covid. And he is coughing. If he gets this it is unlikely he will survive it. His assisted living will not be taking him home without 14 days isolation and two negative tests.
This is a pandemic, again. This is something new for our generations, though the world has endured it in the past. We can look on it as a cull, but I think none of us care to have our own family member among those culled.
We can discuss this endlessly, and it becomes, often now, in our current times, quite political. At the point it trips into politics it is truly a hopeless, endless, divisive exercise.
We all have to do the best we can; we ultimately are individually responsible to do the best we can within the laws and rules as they exist. And yes, of course we can protest. Peaceful protest is an option. Endangering others by our own choice is tantamount to manslaughter, however. As in ALL times in history, the youth, with their idealism, don't tend to think things all the way through. The elders (that's me) think it through to the point of paralysis and inaction.
I am afraid there is not an answer to everything in life.
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Yes, I have an opinion.
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What do the protests have to do with our elders being locked down for their own safety in AL/residential care?
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Both have free will, but the folks in Al (and rehab) have less of it b/c of being in a semi-medical facility, of their own free will and by signing the admission documents. The latter, those on the street, are enacting their own free will, in their own ways, and by their own decision.

You raise an interesting point on disparity of laws. I couldn't opine succinctly w/o doing a lot of legal research, which would be fascinating but time consuming. I think there may be more of a disparity of choices, the former being modified through admissions documents.

Physical need is also an element of the choice factor, but I don't know that's there's really a good method of comparing an older's personal needs for assistance to the desire of generally (but not always) younger people's desire for free expression.

TWillie, I'm curious - what are YOUR thoughts? Do you see restriction of one population set yet freedom of the other?
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And unless I am mistaken, there is no "law" per se. There ARE laws about rules, esp in New York State, having to do with Nursing Homes and SNF. But not Assisted Livings. In the Assisted Living the "rules" will be set by the facility itself. They are in charge. If an elder doesn't wish to obey the rules then they can be asked to leave. If the Elder's family doesn't wish to obey the rules they can remove the elder to their home and visit freely, come and go freely, protest and come back home, whatever they wish. Rules, believe it or not, are usually intended for our protection. Most laws are, as well. That both sets of admonitions are often imperfect goes without saying.
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Citizens still have the right to peaceful protests. Any institution that houses elders - hospitals, nursing/assisted living, has a responsibility to protect from harm's way. Protecting, or attempting to protect, does take away some individual rights from those in elder and medical facilities.

Aside from the protest issue itself, many have been cooped up, out of work, and very fearful things will not improve. I think when someone has little to look forward to, other issues that haven't touched their lives - like COVID just don't matter much.
As long as this continues, the longer our elders will have to be denied visitors at medical/residential settings.

One of my best friends is beside herself. One daughter is a nurse with COVID patients, the other has to have an unexpected surgery this week. Neither daughter can visit their dad. Mom can't visit her daughters nor the dad. So this entire family is essentially locked out from each other. No visits in/out of the AL, and no visits at the hospital, and no personal family gatherings.

Twice in the past month, I've taken a friend to the eye surgery facility. Staff verifies the transport person agrees to wait outside and not drive off the premises. I used the time to exercise as did a number of other's friends and families.
So, many families and friends maintain social distancing, but they aren't protesting.

I guess the best we can do is to just comply with requests from medical facilities and accept the fact that many people right now don't care about things that are invisible to them. Protesters aren't ill with COVID, but they are experiencing violence and unemployment. I wear a mask when out and still hate to see others not doing so. I remind myself of the 6 feet rule and hope it helps.

Families or their representative also sign an acknowledgment of rights and responsibilities. Facilities are supposed to protect, but we know that is not working everywhere.
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Funny before all hell broke out, we were actually told we didn’t have the right to protest. And those who did were called domestic terrorists. We were told we didn’t have the right to protest because we didn’t have the right to protest. And how can you justify keeping elders on lockdown while people are congregating in groups by the thousands? I think this is why the OP is asking about disparity.
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social distancing was important, and I agree. Until now they say social justice trumps this. Doesn't make sense to me.
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Try again commenters. We were told that even younger people need to be careful as they bring the infection back to the older people. And they do.

Yet now, oh, its OK for younger people to be out there. PLUS, all the people out there protesting out there are not young. That poor man who got cruelly shoved down by Buffalo police was 75.

Have right to peacefully protest? Usually yes, but we have been told no groups larger than ten, or fifty or whatever, and social distancing. I live in the Minneapolis area and I can tell you the protesting groups are larger than fifty, they are not social distancing, and in most cases are not wearing masks.

Fair enough, but lets try to be consistent instead of being hypocritical. All these rules don't go away in the name of peaceful protest.
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Sorry need to correct my other reply. It should say “we were told we didn’t have the right to protest because we didn’t have the right to endanger other people’s lives”.

Now we are seeing that locking down facilities endangered the residents lives in other ways than the virus. I feel for all of you with a loved one in a facility. Right about now, I would be over it and demanding to see my loved one. They can no longer justify the lockdowns.
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What is concerning to me is the need for comments saying:
"We were told"
"They say"
etc.
In a country founded on freedoms, including the freedom to use common sense, the freedom to research scientific facts, the freedom to cooperate and comply when needed to save lives. The freedom of self-control.

The freedom to be wise.

Disclaimer: No offense meant to those who say "We were told", or "They say". I do it too, in my confusion over the conflicting instructions on how to be safe.
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sorry. We WERE TOLD we had to do this and if not we could be arrested.
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It was really important to get clarification on SNF, hospitals and assisted living and the variance of rules or laws each entity governs by. I am not POA and did not admit my mother to AL so I follow their rules whatever they say. I support my brothers and sisters protesting against police violence and am as vocal as can possibly be given I am social distancing. My friends understand. I also comply with my state’s shelter in place protocol for my own health and in hopes I get to see my mother again before she dies. She is sick. As has been noted, we are all doing the best we can.
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Send wrote: "The freedom to be wise." Well said and summarized.
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Thanks GA. You understood!

And the right to give up my freedoms to help others!

Silly me, I follow all instructions and rules as best I can. Always have. It was so bad that my friends and I started "Caregivers Behaving Badly" thread just so I could lighten up.

P.S. Still have an elderly loved one on 'lockdown" in AL.
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ewwww just ewwww at the nonsense

we were TOLD to stay home and give up our freedoms otherwise we were granny killers.

the sane people who TOLD us we must do that, killed thousands of grannies by sending sick people in to nursing homes.

clearly SOME of you aren’t exercising your freedom to be wise. You’re exercising your freedom to be a follower.
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Sorry if I sound brash but if one does not follow the rules of a facility we are faced with having our relative released and then we get to take care of them which is where we started and likely arrived at this site. My mother's facility has had no positive cases with IL,Al or nursing home residents but if I need to drop off something I am met at the car to hand off items. I am hoping this will soon be over as my grandchildren will be here.

As far as protesters go they can choose to obviously not social distance. Personally I will not feel bad if they become ill as they are making this choice although I will feel bad for those who have no choice in avoiding them. This has been such a terrible time for the whole world. The death of George Floyd was tragic but at some point we have to move on. People experience tragedies all the time often unjustly and have to decide when it is time to move on taking into consideration how the past might change the future while respecting the general well being of those we live amongst.
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