We are unable to see my mother-in-law, who is safely ensconced in a nursing home and has had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. While the nursing home is only about 800 metres away from our home, because of the lockdown, we cannot see her, which we used to do two or three times a week up until about a month ago.
The nursing home sends us a monthly newsletter by e-mail, and any news specific to my mother-in-law whenever that is required. While it is good for us to hear what is going on at the nursing home, hearing nothing about the old girl is good insofar as no news is good news. However, this is very much a one-way street. Normally one could ring an old person up or send an e-mail. However, the old girl’s hearing is so bad that a phone call is almost impossible (you have to shout and often repeat yourself) and she has never learnt to use a tablet or a computer; they are a completely alien concept to her.
My partner had a stroke of genius and suggested that we compile a ‘newsletter’ for the old girl to read. So, what we do is gather together photographs of all the family (mostly her grandchildren and great grandchildren), and any news they may have, and compiled these into a four-page newsletter in Adobe InDesign (which I used when I edited a scientific journal); save it as a PDF and e-mail that to the nursing home. They print it out, staple it together and hand it to the old girl to read. They then take a photo of her reading it and e-mail that to us. She usually has a wide smile on her face when reading it. Just another way to cope with lockdown.
It’s a good solution to an otherwise tricky situation.
Have you considered that the restrictions placed on over seventies as far as receiving a safe vaccination (which have no basis in medicine, only economics) are technically government mandated ageism?
James,
The fact that people over 70 can realistically only get the AstraZeneca vaccine is not so much ageism, it is because Morrison completely cocked up the vaccine acquisition so that there were nowhere near enough Pfizer doses for the young, let alone anyone else. As usual, when Morrison cocks things up, he is fine. He had both of his Pfizer doses very early on. It is just the rest of us who have to suffer the consequences.
This is what we receive at least weekly.
Cooinda Special Visiting Update
27 August 2021
This is an important update – please share this email with your loved one’s family and friends
Dear loved ones,
Today’s Premier update reports 79 new cases of COVID-19 across Victoria and most concerning a number who were infectious whilst in the community, which has now spread from the Shepparton cluster to Kyabram – and Echuca, where an aged care worker has tested positive.
Given this news, I report that there has been no change to the current Victorian government visiting directives, which is why we must maintain the current arrangements of not permitting visiting aged care facility until further notice, with some limited exceptions.
Whilst we have community transmission the regional Victorian communities close to Benalla, I ask if visiting your loved one at this time is essential – and if so, I ask for you to please to call me to discuss your plans.
Care Parcels
Care Parcels may now be delivered to reception. As has previously been the case, they must be in air-tight and commercial wrapping ie. a pack of Arnott’s biscuits. This is to allow us to thoroughly disinfect the parcel before giving it to your loved one.
Stay Connected
Whilst additional government safety measures are maintained, we ask for you to please stay connected with your loved either via phone or call our Health and Wellbeing Team on 5761 3229 to book a video call.
Your continued support of the government’s additional safety measures is appreciated and essential to ensure we keep Benalla safe, Cooinda safe and most importantly, your loved one safe. Please stay connected whist distanced during this time of community transmission and by working together, we will all see this local cluster through to the other side safely
Please call me directly on 0423 660 789 if you have any concerns or wish to discuss the government visiting directives.
I will again be in touch over the coming days to keep you informed of government updates as they come to hand and we will contact you personally if we have any concerns regarding your loved one.
Warm regards,
Alex McKenna, Chief Executive Officer
27 August, 2021