Snowbird parks and Coronavirus

BarbaraOK wrote:
It is the fear of something new that we have no experience with that has people sacred. Add to that the problem with senior citizens who have health issues (and most of us over 70 have some health issue) and it becomes a concern. Yes, a lot of it is ignorance on the part of most people. But my husband is having bypass surgery next Monday so you can be sure that we will be staying in this week just to make sure that he isn't exposed to ANYTHING (this is also a high flu season in Arizona) that would interfere with his recovery.

Best wishes for your husband, Barb. You need to be diligent. Last week I had to make a whirlwind trip back to Indiana as my mother was in the hospital. She had been in the week before for an infection. While she was there, my sister was outraged with one nurse who was visibly sick. Her nose was raw and red, she was coughing and had laryngitis. My sister told her she needed to wear a mask. She said she was fine and refused to don a mask. She got down right in Mom's face. They released Mom and later that night she developed wheeazing and other respiratory problems so my sister took her back to the ER. The surprised doctor asked if she had been around any sick people. Sis said YES, the one nurse. Mom ended up staying another week while they cleared all that up. A complaint was made to the "Joint Commission" by my niece who is a nurse practitioner. So the next day the CEO from the hospital showed up asking questions. My sister was home sick (imagine that) so I filled him in on all things related to this nurse, who happened to be working on the floor that day. I told him she was NOT to set foot in Mom's room. We considered her the source of Mom's secondary respiratory infection as well as my sister's. Interestingly, once that nurse was off shift, another nurse went to her work station and disinfected everything she had touched. As I told the CEO, all she had to do was wear a mask. I mean, she shouldn't have been there anyway, but if a patient's family thinks you should wear a mask, better do it.

Thankfully my 95-year old Mom recovered and is doing well at home now.

Hopefully nothing like that will happen in a cardiac unit, but we must be our own advocates.

Dale