Dad Dies Alone in Nursing Home Amid Visiting Ban
Due to the social distancing guidelines implemented in the US, the dad of a New York man tragically died alone in his nursing home.
A certified personal trainer at the top celebrity gym "Dogpound," Jin Zhen posted on GoFundMe that his dad died due to a heart attack on Easter Sunday. Both he and his mom could not visit him for a month because of the visitor ban by the facility. The wife and son were not even able to say goodbye to their beloved.
Zhen was cutting his dad's toe nails.
Zhen and His Mom Visits His Dad Often
Zhen shared that his dad has been in the nursing home for almost four years since he had a stroke and an age-related disease. His father became incomplete quadriplegic and could not walk, so he had to be in his wheelchair.
Since Zhen's father could not raise his arms nor grasp utensils to feed himself, both his wife and son came to visit him and care for him every day, even if he was in the nursing home.
Zhen said that for the past years, he came to visit his dad at least five days a week, and if his work permits, he would visit him every day. However, his mom was there to take care of his dad each day until late at night.
Zhen and his mom visited his dad often before the visiting ban happened.
During the first year, Zhen said that his mom even stayed overnight to accompany his dad; however, it stopped because the facility banned visitors from sleeping in the night.
His mom cooked three meals a day for his dad while he is responsible for bathing his dad. He would transfer his dad in and out of his bed to give him a haircut every week. Every once in awhile, he would give his dad a massage to prevent blood clots and relieve joint stiffness.
Apart from that, Zhen would also inspect his dad's body if there is any bed ulcers or sores. That was their regular schedule before the pandemic happened.
State-Imposed Visiting Ban
He explained that everything was ruined when the virus invaded New York City. He said that the state-imposed a rule to ban all visitors from visiting nursing homes until further notice. He and his mom were not prepared for what could have happened.
Zhen was informed by the nurse the evening before the lockdown, so they did not have anything prepared and did not know when the lockdown would be lifted. He remembered that he showered his dad, cut his hair and nails, and shaved him on March 11. But he did not know that it would be the last time that he will be seeing his dad alive.
A month after that, they got a call from the nurse saying that his dad fell unconscious. While they were talking, the nurses were doing CPR on his dad and telling them to be prepared for the worst.
A video made by the son of the deceased.
Moments later, the nurse apologized to them, saying they did their best. Zhen's father did not die of the coronavirus, but because of the precautions taken to prevent the spread of the virus. Sadly, he was not able to have his family by his side when he died.
Zhen said that it hit him hard when he received the sad news. He just hoped that his dad died without feeling any pain or suffering. A day after his dad died, a doctor called in to say that the death was caused by a heart attack, which shattered Zhen's heart into pieces. His mom believed that his dad probably got tired of waiting for them, so he just left the world.
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