Another month of lockdown, and a few new experiences (see previous posts), of which the most challenging was my mother being hospitalised. Her presenting symptoms were very low blood pressure (postural hypotension) which was resulting in falls, plus fluctuating temperature. Neither paramedics nor her GP thought it was Covid, but when she got to hospital she tested positive, so was transferred to a Covid ward. We had been unable to visit her for several weeks, but had been able to see her over FaceTime, and had created a youtube playlist for her carers to share with her so that she could see our faces and hear our voices at other times too.Losing even that level of contact with her was hard. What was even harder was the sense that, as her attorneys for health and welfare, we would have to make decisions about what interventions she would receive if her health declined further. We braced ourselves for the worst while hoping for the best (though everything on the news leads one to expect the worst). Being unable to visit, we were entirely reliant on reports from the nurse responsible for her care at any given moment. Fortunately, we didn't have to make any hard decisions because her health gradually improved and she was discharged after 9 days.
Each day, I called at what I thought would be a convenient time for them. Occasionally, the designated nurse was available to talk; more often, I had to try multiple times (6 or 7 on some days) between work meetings to catch them: I don't know how many patients each nurse was responsible for, but obviously they were doing full barrier nursing, with all that means in terms of changing PPE after seeing every patient. After the first 2-3 days I gave up asking for medical details such as temperature or blood pressure or what medications she was on because it took so long for the nurse to access the notes (either paper or on the electronic record) that the costs to them of doing so outweighed the benefits to me of having a full picture of her progress. So I just heard the things that they could easily remember: whether she was up or in bed, how well she was eating, whether she was singing. I think when Mum stops singing, that will really be the time to worry!
I'm very grateful to the different care teams (and support staff) looking after Mum in both hospital and the care home, but the Covid situation brings into sharp relief how essential those people are to mediate between family and people like Mum, who can't use any technology for communication themselves. That creates a really narrow channel of communication.
In other news: the bluebells have been beautiful this year, and I think we've now explored every possible track within a couple of miles of home. According to my health app, my average step count in April is the highest since recording began - presumably because I'm making a specific effort to get out for my one precious walk a day (and can't do things like climbing which don't contribute to the step count).I'm learning a lot about the human body through the process of doing two sessions a week on it (remotely) with the grandsons. We're particularly enjoying Operation Ouch and Kahoot! quizzes. I have also learned to be a barber, but won't be taking it up as a profession.
Work continues, and continues to be demanding. Students, research team and colleagues mostly seem to be adapting well to the changed demands and circumstances. The latest non-work activity is making reusable face masks for all the family. The first one was made from scraps of fabric that we had lying around, and looks more like a bikini top made by someone with a poor awareness of the normal female form, but if it helps reduce spread, who cares? I've just made ones featuring Pikachus for the boys and am tempted to make one of those for myself...