People in nursing homes facing a fate worse than COVID-19

Those who are still stuck in long-term care facilities are suffering a fate worse than many American prisons. The last time I visited the assisted-living facility my mother lived in was in July. We had gotten to know the people who worked and lived there, and they were all great. The management and staff really enjoyed what they did and were dedicated professionals who genuinely cared about the residents.

We had pulled our mom out of there in June, after three months of not being able to visit her and her being pretty much confined to her room all day and all night. She was desperately miserable and really tried hard every day to stay strong and understand what was going on. The staff were suffering through the restrictions too. After a few months, it was not the same happy place we had brought our mom to a few months earlier.

The decision to put COVID positive patients back into long-term care facilities, is what caused so many of the deaths during the first two months of the pandemic. Of course, the state of New Jersey panicked and put rules in place that made it extremely difficult to live any semblance of a happy normal existence in any of those facilities.

It seems to many of us that even incarcerated criminals have more freedoms and liberties, than those stuck living in nursing homes, assisted living, or other long-term care operations. Some of us were fortunate enough to be able to get our loved ones out and care for them in any way we can. But others remain in a very sad and isolated situation caused by bad government decisions, early on and now.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.