The nursing homes need to open up!!!

The year of the shutdown, 2020, was hard on many of us. Now over a year later and many people already have been vaccinated there are still places that are not opened. One of those places is the nursing homes. My heart goes out to those men and women. I think sometimes they are the forgotten people. They are older, sick, some in wheelchairs, some on walkers, some not even able to get out of bed, some have trouble just remembering who they are, they're a group of individuals that need to know they are not forgotten. Even in the best of circumstances some of them have no one that comes and spends time with them. Now after many months of being isolated hope is at an all time low. My sister is in a nursing home and the facility is saying when they allow us to we will open back up. We took a vacation to Ohio and I was able to schedule an appointment to see her but I could only sit behind a shielded glass and talk to her for half an hour. I wanted to hug her, hold her tight and whisper in her ear how much I miss and love her. Instead at a distance I had to say my love. I felt like it was just not the same, I know it wasn't for me and I'm sure she felt the same, even though we both smiled as we parted. It left me feeling that a big hug would have helped us both. My sister has dementia and sometimes she doesn't remember who I am. It does not mean she doesn't care it just means she has a medical condition robbing her of memories she spent her lifetime making. Now I have to help her remember. We that have the  memories left need to help those less fortunate to recall what they can. We need to help them find something to laugh about. They are no less important, no less loved, they are still your brother, sister, someone's mother or father, they are important just in a different way. Put yourself in their shoes would you want to be forgotten? I know I don't want to be a forgotten person. When these facilities open up again I look forward to the time I can go and spend time with her and others like her. Will they remember that I was there, I don't know but I know for a few minutes they smiled and hopefully felt like someone cares about them. What we do doesn't always have to about us, it needs to be about others. Friends' people suffer in different ways. Loneliness is an awful way that so many are suffering right now. If you can help relieve that for anyone even when they don't remember let us do our part in making someone else's day a little less lonely. I want you to know if I can help you just reach out, send me a message and I will get back with you. We need to be there for each other. Don't live in loneliness any longer. Be the reason someone else is not living in loneliness any longer. Have a great day enjoying others.