As the pandemic continues in the US, many families are making the decision to take loved ones out of nursing homes, feeling powerless against fierce lockdown measures amid allegations of elder neglect.
Pushed up to the breakfast table, Betty Bednarowski folded and refolded her napkin with studied intensity, as she sang Winter Wonderland without the words, the same as she did in March and July, and September.Between mouthfuls, Ms Bednarowski, who has advanced Alzheimer's disease, glanced at her daughter, Susan Ryder, and flashed a blissful grin.
"We mostly hear two things. One, they're really happy they did it. They're genuinely happy to have their loved ones at home," John Schall from the Caregiver Action Network said, which has fielded calls from thousands of distressed families. Ms Ryder, then an office manager at a package delivery contractor, was planning a stop to see her mum at the Schenectady Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing. An hour before her workday ended, an email arrived from a social worker at the home. The facility was barring visitors, effective immediately.
But "families who were willing to take their loved ones out of the facility permanently to take care of them were opened to do so," he said in a written statement.
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