Aunt Annie has been placed in isolation for 10 days at the nursing home to combat her COVID symptoms. While she feels like she’s got the worst flu bug that ever hit her, she’s not exhibiting any respiratory symptoms. She’s 5 days into her isolation program, but the fact that an immune-compromised 80-year-old is hanging tough is a bit of a relief.
She’s still going to need at least 3-5 days of physical therapy once she gets out of COVID protocol as she’s lost a fair amount of strength on bed rest, and she’s hanging in there, but it’s not been easy.
Every time she lets me visit her, I don the PPE and get in there to cheer her up. I’ve also been navigating the health system as we try to get answers as to what’s going to be covered by insurance, what we’re going to be paying ourselves, negotiating with the nursing home staff to get updates as to how her care is going, coordinating and re-coordinating her post-institutional appointments, etc. etc.
It’s really a full-time job in itself.
Between managing to get through the I-96 construction on the Flex Route over to Novi and back (a 15-minute drive has become a 45-minute ordeal going each way on Grand River Avenue), visiting, worrying, coming back home and sorting out the medical stuff…
I’m afraid that I’m just not able to concentrate on the simplest of tasks right now. It’s very frustrating as you know as well as anyone that I’m happier when I’m blogging, but that’s where my mushy, over-stressed brain is at.
We’re also facing some significant financial hurdles (surprise!). We’ve got a big, fat tax bill due in January, we’re facing the basic expenses of life in utility bills and things like gas and the groceries that EBT doesn’t cover, and we’re down to the last of our financial reserves.
As a result, I’ve started a GoFundMe because we’re in some pretty desperate financial straits. I would usually be asking for support in keeping the blog running, but for the present moment, it’s asking for help keeping the blogger home and working to care for the aunt, if at all possible.
I’m also available at the following fundraising links, though the GoFundMe goes right to AA’s bank account:
You can also use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums” (an old nickname).
That’s where we’re at.
Been thinking of you, George, and I hope things are going okay for you and your Aunt.