Before the age of Coronavirus, I thought having a grandparent in a nursing home was hard. My, how I was wrong.

I grew up living about 15 minutes from my mother's parents. My father's parents both passed away before I was born so as a result of living so close to my maternal grandparents and this, I have always been really close with my mother's parents.

Last March (2019), my grandpa had a stroke and is now paralyzed on his left side. He requires 24-hour care, as a result and my grandma can't take care of him on her own so he is currently at a nursing home which is the best place for him. He is at a wonderful facility and gets amazing care. We really couldn't be more grateful for the facility and all of his caregivers.

The facility is state of the art which is such a blessing, we never worry about him. But the downside of it is that it is about an hour away so while we make visiting him a priority, it is tricky at times because it is so far away. We certainly don't get to see him as often as we would but we try our best to visit him as often as possible.

With COVID-19 restrictions, it has been almost two months since anyone last visited him. While we don't know if he is aware of why no one is coming to see him (the stroke had an impact on his comprehension), he does know that no one is coming to see him. Which is gut-wrenching.

But even more gut-wrenching is the fear of what could come. Many nursing homes have been plagued with COVID-19 and are struggling to contain it. Everyone is doing their best and trying to help residents but a lot of times, why nursing homes are being hit the hardest has to do with the fact that most older people live there.

Not knowing what is to come or if I will ever be able to visit my grandpa is a hard pill to swallow. It's sad to think about how he isn't able to understand why no one is coming to visit but also, that he is in a hotspot and we don't know when we will be able to see again.

I pray that we will be able to visit him soon but it is like walking on thin ice when thinking about the situation he is in. He and others are in the risk category and are in a highly contagious environment. It is sad to think of all of the residents confused and at a loss for words regarding what is going on.

All of the nurses, doctors, and caregivers are doing a phenomenal job and I am eternally grateful for every single one of them. It is a sad situation for sure.