Elmer is a resident in a skilled nursing facility.  His wife, Carolyn of forty five years moved into the personal care side of the facility so that they could be together.  She would spend the days with him on his side and they would walk the halls together. He gave her a massage and therapy for her MS every evening just as he had done for decades.  “We take care of each other”,  they would say.  

In March, when Covid mandates placed restrictions on nursing home visits, Carolyn and Elmer could no longer visit with each other, each having to stay on their own side of the facility.  

After months of isolation, Carolyn and Elmer were permitted a twenty minute scheduled visit.  Each sat at opposite ends of an eight foot table, with a plexiglass barrier in the center while they wore masks. They were happy to see one another although not the reunion they wanted.   “He looks wonderful!”, she said.  They were unable to have a conversation as they have hearing loss.  They had one more visit like this and then Carolyn suddenly declined in health and was taken to the hospital for an emergency surgery.  Days later she died.  They lost six months of time together.  

It is time for Pennsylvania to take action for our seniors.  Precautions can be taken to protect our most vulnerable without continuing to isolate them.  

We have let prisoners go free to protect them from covid 19 but we keep our elderly in isolation.  A federal judge recently ruled Pennslyvania Covid restrictions to be unconstitutional.  Continuing to keep our elderly citizens in isolation instead of giving them a choice breaches their 14th Amendment rights of due process and equal protection.  

Let’s be the voice for our senior citizens and bring the necessary changes to the restrictions placed on nursing homes and other senior care facilities.