Our local care home is right next door, but due to the #Covid19 crisis, we had to limit our visits there –– which has given me cold sweats since the start of the lockdown, and more recently since the first residents and carers were tested positive… 1/9 
Our primary care team obviously doesn’t want to increase the risk of virus transmission in this vulnerable population, and we maintain continuous contact (by phone) with care home staff, and residents’ relatives. 2/9
We still visit care home residents who need to be seen (and particularly for symptom management problems, when they do arise), but overall, we see them quite less frequently than usual. 3/9
We contacted the Health Protection Team to make sure PPE was available to care home staff and that everyone who needed to be tested there would be swabbed. 4/9
At the same time, I decided to describe the population of residents in order to make it more visible and present. Both for me, and for my colleagues at the surgery. 5/9
And I took charge of monitoring the outbreak in the care home. Since the first case tested positive, 3 weeks ago, 40% of residents have had Covid19 symptoms, 24% tested positive, and one (out of 59) has died. Half of the care home staff tested positive… 6/9
Three days ago, I visited the care home and I was relieved to see what was going on firsthand. Well, carers looked tired and residents were upset not being able to sit in the dining room, but the situation looked "manageable", and the care I witnessed was still compassionate. 7/9
Before leaving the care home, I met a resident who was quietly knitting on her wheelchair. She had Covid19 three weeks ago, and she was on the mend now. Seeing a picture of her with a mic on the wall, I asked whether she liked to sing. "Of course I do! Would like a song?" 8/9
I was offered a fantastic a capella cover of "Sailor" (Petula Clark): powerful voice, deep breath coming out of lively lungs.
And this haunting verse:
Sailor stop your roaming
Sailor, leave the sea…
This will definitely be my Covid19 moment
9/9
And this haunting verse:
Sailor stop your roaming
Sailor, leave the sea…
This will definitely be my Covid19 moment
9/9
