By Angel Maldonado
Managing Editor
(Honolulu)–The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the entire world. For a year now, we have all tried our best to stay safe and stop the spread. And while preventative measures have been proven to work, getting citizens to listen guidelines has sometimes become a stretch of the imagination.
Care facilities have been especially cautious, as they work with and treat seniors daily with the ever-present threat of Covid-19. Brian Yoshida, he wasn’t in the country when the pandemic struck, and his mom, 100-year-old Nobuko Yoshida, was at Avalon Health Care. Yet, the facility took a lot of the worry out of such an uncertain time.
“We actually were out of town, we were in Japan, and we cut the trip short to come back,” said Yoshida. “We were very concerned. A lot of things we shut down. When we came back, we decided to self-quarantine for a few weeks and at that same time is when Avalon started restricting visitors. We also received numerous correspondence informing us of the status of what they were doing, when they started testing, when they started with the vaccine. So they have been very good at keeping us informed,” explained Yoshida, a lifetime Honolulu resident.
Nobuko had been at Avalon since January 2016. She was initially there for physical therapy and rehab. While she was there, she was informed that she qualified for long-term care. “She seemed comfortable with the staff,” said Yoshida. “Due to the amount of care she needed, I think she realized it was really hard. She’s been there for five years and still feels comfortable staying there. She’s easy-going, a likable person.”
The pandemic brought changes to everyone’s life, including Nobuko’s. Yet the familiy explained that despite the obstacles, Avalon found ways to connect her to her family still, all while maintaining safety and care guidelines.
“We would see her 4-5 a week when visitation was allowed,” said Yoshida. “When we weren’t able to see her, they kind of came up with other ways. She could wave from the window; we didn’t get close to her. They had Facetime, Zoom, which we took advantage of; we did it several times. The staff would come up to us all the time and make sure everything was ok; if we had questions, they would talk to us, even the Administrator, and we know he must be a busy guy. They took the time to talk to us. We are really appreciative of all they have done.”
Yoshida mentioned the various ways the care facility reacted to COVID to provide care and protect their clients from the infectious virus.
“They were trying to put us at ease with everything they were doing, the COVID unit they had,” said Yoshida. “Workers who worked in the COVID unit only worked in that unit; they had their own entrance and exit. They were doing everything in a safe way, adhering to the CDC as best they can. We were very reassured that they were giving my mom, besides care, they were trying to protect her. They allow limited visitations, so there is that, and we don’t see it changing soon. Which is no problem, we don’t want anybody getting sick. They come out, take your temperature, have you fill out a form. The two girls up front, Anna and Cecilia, they have been really great.”
Nobuko Yoshida has since received the COVID-19 vaccine and still resides at Avalon. Would Yoshida recommend Avalon as a care facility to friends and family?
“Yeah, we certainly would,” said Yoshida. “We had been to other facilities: I have uncles and aunts and grandparents at different places. Avalon is very clean for the most part. The workers are very friendly; my mom gets individual attention.”
As more care facilities receive more vaccines for their residents, the threat of Covid-19 does not seem to alarm families like the Yoshida’s. “We are grateful to have gone through this experience together and we all came out of it healthy and with more appreciation for each other.”
For more information on Avalon Health Care, visit https://www.avalonhealth