National Day of Reflection

Tier 5 - Day 78

My mum's care home took part in today's  Reflection. A few weeks ago the Activites Team wrote to relatives to say they'd asked 
residents to choose a poem, or even write one, to reflect how the past year has been for them. For those who are unable to engage in this, the team asked if relatives would like to write something from their loved one's perspective. So, my brother and I wrote the 'poem' below.
Contributions were put on residents' room doors and will be collated into a book.



A Life Lived Differently - The “perspective” of Kath.
 
The first sign was Barney leaving
Then Anne, and other visitors stopped visiting
But we still had lots of familiar faces
Caring for us and trying to keep things normal
 
There’s a Virus they said
And the masks and gowns came
I heard of a Lockdown
But carers were still here looking after us
 
No Mothers Day visit
Easter came and went
But Birthday video call calls from Peter and Anne
And a special cake from the chef
 
I’ve seen some hard times through the years
But there are no sirens this time, no loud bangs
Quite the opposite really
No grandkids around, no proud Nans
 
Sometimes people are poorly 
We stay in our rooms
We still have Namaste
I like the feel of the hand massages
 
The invisible tormentor keeps loved ones away
But I see carers battling, relentless, tireless
Must be harder for them than most
They spend long days here, and repeat again at home
 
What is this Face time?
I see Anne there often
She blows me kisses and sends hugs
The carers catch them and pass them to me
 
My hair grew long, my toenails too
I sometimes needed the doctor
But as always
People took care of these things
 
No visiting singers
No people from the Church
But the Activities Team were creative
And entertained us a lot
 
The Virus continued and staff got tired
But day to day life carried on
Safety, meals, laundry and cleaning
People still took care of it all

Then came Christmas
But sadly no relatives
But they made sure we had a good day
The Team that care for us
 
And then a New Year
A light at the end of the tunnel
We’ve had our first vaccinations
Along with those who care for us
 
And so a year on
A time for hope and looking forward
And a time for Reflection
With thanks to all those who continue to care