In California, the National Guard is stepping up to help with testing for the COVID-19 pandemic. The testing will be mostly focused in senior care facilities. Not only is the hope to keep seniors and caregivers healthier, one of the big hopes here is that public concern and worry can be alleviated, even if it is only by a little bit.
One of the scariest things about the novel coronavirus is that we don’t know all that much about it. Even though we’ve learned over the last couple months, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Having trained members of the National Guard assisting with testing takes some of the strain off of private health care workers, and will hopefully ease a lot of minds.
In some parts of the U.S., the pandemic is at record lows. New York and California–two of the states that were hit the hardest right at the beginning of the pandemic back in March–are now in a relatively quiet period. Other states, like Florida and Arizona, are seeing higher numbers than ever. Officials have been clear that this is not a second wave, but rather a continuation of the first. Again, this feeds into a lot of the unknowns associated with COVID-19. How can we know when it’s safe? Will life ever be the same again?
Unfortunately, we just don’t know the answer to these things.
What we do know is that the elderly population is one of the most vulnerable segments of our communities. Not only are seniors limited because of chronic health issues and disabilities, they are also more vulnerable to illnesses like COVID-19. It puts them in a precarious situation, and a lot more help is needed in times of crises. Failings at nursing homes and senior care centers all over the world have only served to remind us of this fact.
Some have spoken out against the use of the National Guard because of the impression that the military is all about war. But one of the spokespeople for this effort commented that there’s a lot more to the military than weapons and Humvees. The purpose of the military is to help, and that’s exactly what they hope to do here.
Having a military presence in our nursing homes is not ideal. But we also need to remember that the National Guard is not there as a military force, but as a help to those that need it the most. This is exactly what we should be expecting from our men and women in uniform. And we are very grateful that we have people out there willing to put themselves in harm’s way to be of service to others. This is the kind of altruism that makes our communities the wonderful places that they are.
Senior care can be a daunting topic during the best of times. During COVID-19, it is even more so. But don’t forget that you have a lot of resources on your side.
We can be one of them. Please feel free to give us a call if you have questions about care. We’d be more than happy to help get you pointed in the right direction.
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