Part II
Visits.
It has been hard to limit visits. Both for us and you. Thank you for those who have restrained yourselves for concern of overwhelming us. Mothers Day brought in a lot of visitors! So much love there! Window visits are great, but we really need to stick to the protocols of n95 mask for open windows and surgical or cloth masks for closed windows. And, even with window visits, social distancing rules and recommendations still apply. It is very difficult to communicate through a closed window, so I encourage you to get yourself an n95 mask. If you are having trouble locating them, please let me know. Also, I would encourage you to try to use Facetime/cell phone to augment the audio so that you don't have to yell so much... : )
In-the-building visits. I know you are all waiting for this. We have only allowed in-person visits in the building for family members whose loved one is in the process of dying, and only if they will wear the full regalia of PPE.
Outside-the-building visits. These are so very very tempting, even for us. Outside is beautiful, more ventilation, more UV rays....more temptation to hug your person, to give them a kiss, get close to them. If Dr. Fred were here (he is back home in Amarillo), he would be able to rattle of the requirements and give authorization, but even he cannot predict how you or your resident will behave when you are here in person.... If you haven't noticed yet, it is very very difficult to follow the behavior rules associated with COVID infection protection (rhymes). Our workers who have been through the storm still can forget. Some of you might be better at it than others. Healthcare professionals are not all equally good at it. It is good to practice and remind each other. Practice staying 6+ feet apart and still feel connected. Practice loving/communicating by just observing and being present. Practice wearing a mask and not touching it... aha! tough, right? Since COVID is going to be with us for a while, might as well practice these things. The infection will come into our facility from the outside. Masking and distancing is loving. Everyone's cooperation is essential. It is natural to make mistakes, but we really don't want to do this again, if you know what I mean.... Thank you for understanding. Here is a video that our Public Health liaison sent me in case you want more info.... https://stanford.
Also, since more things will be opening up, there may be more incidence of community transmission... more virus in the human respiratory systems.... ugh, yes.
We are patiently awaiting our "COVID-free" clearance, but when I asked our public health person what that really meant, she said, not much because all the precautions will still be required. So much for that! No prizes yet, until a vaccine or better treatments are developed. Let's send good juju to all of those scientists!! Go science!
Ok, families, time to rest, knowing that we are grateful for your residents and you. We are all together in our mission to take care of our dear seniors, of each other and not spread virus around. Stay tuned....
Sincerely,
~Alisa, on behalf of all of us at Gordon Manor
Our ZHS on-line schedule:
- Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
- Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
- Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
- For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)
Special bows for today:
- Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
- Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
- Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
- Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
- Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
- Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:
- Claudio Pannunzio, dharma friend of Twining Vines Zendo, who is undergoing chemotherapy
- Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home while undergoing chemotherapy
- Brendan, Kate Haimson’s son, who is recovering at home from surgery
- Michael Tieri Ricaud, Dainuri Rott’s brother, who is suffering from MS
____________________________________________________________________________________
Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:
- Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
- From our dharma sister, Misha: article from the New Yorker, Reinventing grief:
- https://www.newyorker.com/maga
zine/2020/05/11/reinventing- grief-in-an-era-of-enforced- isolation - From our friend, Candace Pierce: Song of The Longest Time - Quarantine Edition
- From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
- From our friend, Candace Pierce: Bolero from Juillard: https://www.juilliard.edu/
school/news/media-gallery?utm_ source=pardot&utm_medium= email&utm_campaign=content& utm_content=bolerojuilliard_ 04.30.20#/node/146356 - From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM
__________________________________________________________________________________
Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.
No comments:
Post a Comment