Uta Stijnen: ‘Finally I could give my mother a kiss again’
“Last Thursday, for the first time in 14 months, I gave my mother a hug and a kiss again. I missed that very much. Every time I couldn’t give her a kiss after a visit, I thought: I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. , this will be the last time I say goodbye to her and it would be without a kiss. “
Uta Stijnen is a nurse and works at a location of the MeanderGroep care home in South Limburg. Her 80-year-old mother also lives there. They both got their second shot at the end of February. But to say that the ‘old normal’ is back immediately, is too early for that. As an employee, it is mandatory to wear a face mask in the building and in the rooms of residents. Visitors are allowed to take off their mouth masks in the room of vaccinated residents.
“I catch myself keeping my mouth mask on, while as a visitor in the room I don’t really have to anymore. It feels strange to take it off, because it is also mandatory in the shops. The real effect of the vaccinations, we go I think only when many more people have been vaccinated. “
Difficult to understand for people with dementia
So used to wearing a mouth mask, it was so difficult at the beginning of last year to explain the measures to residents suffering from dementia. “Some did not understand why they had to stay in their room and looked at us in surprise when we entered with a mouth mask on.”
She also noticed the effect of measures in the nursing home from her mother. The social activities such as the bingo and live music were all canceled. “My mother is a woman of few words, but she became more and more quiet and said often, if only that corona was gone.”
Due to the vaccinations of residents and staff, the fear of infecting others has become a lot less at Stijnen. The locations are looking at which activities can now be resumed carefully. The 1.5 meter rule and mouth masks remain mandatory for non-vaccinated visitors and in the corridors. Since last week, vaccinated residents have been allowed to receive two visitors a day and have a drink in the restaurant of the nursing home. “When my mother heard that, she was more talkative all evening than she has been in months.”
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