The year was 2012.
I had moved my office up to the assisted living floor in the long term care facility were I devoted many years of my life.
I wanted to be present on that floor. I wanted to make sure that everyone was treated with dignity and respect.
I made sure to work all shifts. Even the overnight shifts.
As I was making my rounds one night, I heard loud cries coming from one of the rooms.
I approached the room and found one of our residents sitting on the edge of her bed crying.
I knocked, said my name, and asked if I could come in.

The year was 2010.
We had a new admission that day at the long term care facility.
Admissions were always exciting but also stressful for staff.
Are they coming willingly ? Is the family making this decision? Have they exhausted all other avenues ? Will they adapt quickly ? I always made sure that their apartment was welcoming, always had fresh cookies and tea ready to go, and made sure my day was blocked off so I could ensure an easy and enjoyable transition.
That day when the elevator doors opened I knew we would have an emotional morning.

It’s been awhile that I’ve done one of these ..
My entire TL is now filled of stories of sudden death. From dm’s, to the media, to news reports. We don’t always have all the answers, or all the details, but the speed and frequency it’s happening is terrifying.
Here’s my 14th🧵 Young Italian racer Simone Roganti dies after sudden illness

cyclingnews.com/news/young-ita…

This platform was always such a space space with likeminded people truly here to fight together against this plan of mass infection.
Lately I’m seeing so much shaming amongst the Covid cautious community and honestly it’s not right.
I do have a few thoughts Number 1, not every parent has the privilege, support or capacity to homeschool their kids. In a perfect non dystopian world, masks would be mandated and air would be cleaned. If their kids have to attend and are doing their dam well best to be the lone masker in a sea

Christmas was and has always been isolating for so many seniors. Especially those living alone or those who never got any visitors during the holidays living in long term care.
Reminds me of a memory of mine working in LTC.
It was 2017. I was preparing for our annual Christmas party on my assisted living floor.
I remember decorating the tables and waiting for the family members to arrive and join their loved ones for lunch.
As I went through the list, I noticed one of the residents was missing.

COVID, Alzheimers and your brain🧠
a 🧵
Most recently there has been a lot more studies linking COVID to brain damage and more specifically to potentially leading to Dementia.

Alzheimer's disease right now remains the most common diagnosis of Dementia. Estimates are that about 5.8 million people in the US have Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. 5.6 million are aged 65 and older and approx 200,000 under age 65 with early onset Alzheimer's.

It was 2015
I was doing a conference for the staff in the long term facility on how to better work and care for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
The pagers of staff kept going off.
I didn’t pay much attention to it and kept going on my presentation After 25 mins of this I asked staff if there was an issue with a resident.
One nursing student said yes, there was a resident in distress and no one was able to calm her down.
I called for a break and headed to her floor.
When I got there, the resident was

Lots of feelings running though my mind the last few days. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know that sometimes sharing them will help others feel like they are supported too. So here it is
Quick 🧵 *Anger : I feel angry at the fact that we have been continuously let down by our leaders. That they continue to take away our protections, deny airborne transmission, that no one is talking about Long COVID or how millions are suffering daily. They continue to

It was 2015
I was getting ready to head home for the weekend when I remembered I left a folder on my assistant living floor.

I headed up there and when the elevators opened I heard loud crying.
I looked over to one of my residents who was sitting on his walker He was sobbing. I had actually never seen him cry before.
I went up to him, kneeled down, held his hand and asked him if I could help him.
He told me that his brother had just drown in the family pool and that he wasn’t fast enough to save him.

I’ve worked in this field for many years. Part of the training I give clearly states that cardiovascular risk factors & disease increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s substantially.

We know the consequences on the heart with every COVID infection.

This is important. Link

alzheimersresearchuk.org/an-accumulatio…

I’ve had so many beautiful conversations in working in long term care, specifically working with those suffering from Alzheimer’s.
I’ll always remember a conversation with a resident who I found crying in her room.
I walked in, sat down next to her, held her hand and told her that she was safe with me and that I was so sorry she was feeling upset.
She looked at me and said « my mom was my best friend, she was my favorite person in the whole world, and I’m lost, I can’t find her »
I then understood at that moment how deep her pain

More and more my entire TL is filled of stories of sudden death. From dm’s, to the media, to news reports. We don’t always have all the answers, or all the details, but the speed and frequency it’s happening is frightening .
Here’s my 13th 🧵 Brazilian lawyer, 32, dies from heart attack mid-flight to California

dailymail.co.uk/galleries/arti…

Everyday we seem to learn more and more what SARS-CoV-2 does to our bodies. With each infection comes additional risk. We can pretend it’s over, but it’s not.
Here’s a quick 🧵 on Covid & Strokes Ischemic stroke risk may be higher after COVID-19 compared to flu or bacterial pneumonia

news-medical.net/news/20220630/…

It is highly important to continue to test, but use of reliable tests is essential.
Here is a quick 🧵 about a personal story that happened to our family Last night family members of mine had what we thought was their first encounter with infection.
Both did their routine tests with the Quidel QuickVue rapid antigen test before a visit with family.

One of my Alzheimer’s clients said to me « Lately, I feel like I’m falling, I just keep falling into a dark hole. Sometimes I have a memory that I want to hold on to, but when I focus on it it’s gone. And I fall again. Over and over »
I asked him what he felt in terms of emotion when that happened. He said « grief, sadness, a loss of control, fear of never being able to come back »
I then asked him if the memory he felt he needed to hold on to made him happy. If it involved someone he loved. What he said will stay with me for a long time

We may have had cases of « sudden death » before (be it from heart attacks, strokes etc), but the extent of them that we are seeing now daily is unreal.
This can’t all be coincidental
Here is my now 13th 🧵 A father of five died of a heart attack after his family could not get an ambulance for over an hour.
Martin Clark, 68, had been fit before he suddenly collapsed in pain

thesun.co.uk/health/2102872…