Warren Mass

I have not been able to visit my wife in her nursing home since visitation was banned on March 13th. Before the ban, I used to spend 20 hours a week visiting my wife, making sure her needs were met. I would encourage her to eat and make sure she always had on a warm sweater and plenty of blankets on her bed.  My wife is only in a moderate stage of dementia, so she could carry on a normal conversation. However, since I have not been able to visit her (except by phone or Skype) her ability to verbalize things has declined and I have to use the first part of our calls to help her understand who I am before we can carry on. In only three months, her dementia has declined noticeably. I believe this separation is unnecessary. At 72 years of age, and living alone, I come into contact with very few people, so my chance of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus is minimal. In contrast, the much younger members of the nursing home staff undoubtedly come in contact with spouses, children, and friends, all of whom have contact with many other people, so their chance of bringing the virus into the nursing home is greater than mine. It serves little purpose to keep people like me from visiting our loved ones.