book-outbreak

(Place on page 207, after para 1)

One of my jobs during an outbreak was to keep families informed, especially when visiting was restricted. We would coordinate other ways to "visit"- such as telephone or window visits. Communication methods such as Skype didn't exist yet.  If a resident was able to use a wheelchair we would arrange for family to locate outside of a first floor window. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, especially if an occasion such as a birthday occured during a quarrentine. Everyone loves hugs anytime but especially on your birthday. Frustrating when a family celebrated for so many years together and now could not. But we did the best we could to make it as best we could.

I was used to the possibility of residents getting really sick or dying, almost on a daily basis, when I worked in nursing homes. That was a tough part of the job, to say the least. But during an outbreak crisis it was dreaded but almost expected, that fatalities would happen. Leaving work every day I never knew who I might see again in the morning or not.