ASK AGING WELL

There are no straightforward answers during this period, simply everyone trying to do the best they can under the circumstances. It is challenging in Independent Living in the fact that because they do not provide health care (though many families contract out for care from the agencies which operate independently on the premises), they do not fall under the guidelines mandated by Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control. When I visited local communities Friday, I noticed that different communities are handling the situation differently. Conservative ones are delivering all meals to residents in their apartments. Others are continuing to provide communal dining, while simultaneously asking family members to limit visits. As of March 20, only one retirement community in North Carolina had reported a coronavirus case (Woodland Terrace in Cary). This had many of the others calling staff to confirm that no one had worked at Woodland Terrace in the last two weeks.

In your case, if we consider the mental stress of caregiving a second person in your home, and maybe more importantly, what would happen in the event that your mother took a fall and needed more support, I would encourage you to keep in mind that the CCRC would likely not let her back in to the level of support area she may then need, as that section is closed to new admissions to control coronavirus. In terms of the housekeeper and the aide, you are correct that both, making many visits, as well as living out in the community with their families, increases their risk to infection. I would hope that the CCRC has emphasized to these workers their need to employ heightened hygiene during this uncertain time. It sounds like your mother depends on her aide for bathing and dressing, which contributes to her quality of life.

I suppose my answer would be that there is no perfect answer. There is simply weighing the pros and cons to the best of your ability, while simultaneously drawing on those means you have developed over a lifetime of calming your own anxieties so that you don’t add to those your mom is undoubtedly experiencing herself.