I am a specialist registrar in geriatric medicine. I recall walking into the wards (reassigned to the COVID-19 ward) at the start of the pandemic to realize that I had to wear personal protective equipment to relate with my elderly and other patients, which I found uncomfortable initially but quickly realized that I have to stay healthy to be able to provide a somewhat care for them.
My difficult moments have been when my elderly patients who have delirium and recovering due to COVID-19 start asking for their closest relatives or friends and they are told they can’t come in due to the COVID-19 pandemic as unfortunately a few of them are also elderly with some comorbidities. It’s indeed a sad and sorry state. Even with the use of video calls, it wasn’t the same experience. However, the team of healthcare providers stepped up to fill that vacuum as much as they could.
For me, the fear was at the end of my shift as I will be going home to my young family. My wife will be waiting at the top of the staircase holding back my kids from running to hug me till I have had a shower. My 2-year-old daughter couldn’t and still doesn’t understand why she can’t hug her dad until he has had a shower. Well, it’s the time we are living in and we can only but adjust to the season before us.
Presently, the scenario seems to be changing for good and we all hope that we have overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
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