They saw each other and wept.
They held hands and didn’t let go.
How to begin to say “I love you” after a year?
The pandemic kept nursing home residents and their families apart. We sent photographers across the U.S. to document their reunions. nyti.ms/32Z5Bxx
Before the pandemic, Dolores Hiwiller’s daughters visited her multiple times a week. Aside from window visits, it had been a year since they had seen each other in person.
Jim Tinkler, 84, lost his wife during the pandemic following her battle with Parkinson’s disease. When she died, their family couldn't visit. But earlier this month, he was reunited with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson for the first time in more than a year.
Anita Li grew up with her grandmother, Con Yan Muy, and previously visited daily. For the past year, they saw each other only a handful of times through a window or at a distance. Even now, her visits remain limited, as is the case at many facilities.
Warren Young, 64, came to an assisted living facility in Washington, D.C., about seven years ago, after suffering a stroke and heart attack. In this case, it was his mother, Lucille Young, 87, who had been waiting to visit her son.
“It was such a beautiful feeling. I didn’t want him to leave. It’s hard to let go.”
See more long-awaited reunions between family members at nursing homes: nyti.ms/32Z5Bxx
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