Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease over eight years ago. She's been at Bethesda Meadows since April 2009. When she quit walking in April 2011, mom was moved from the dementia wing to the fourth floor.
Last week, the fourth floor was hit with a flu virus. One of the nurses called Saturday morning and told me mom started with the virus Friday night. The fourth floor has now been quarantined and all the staff members are wearing face masks. I was asked to tell family they should not visit for at least five days and then call Wednesday or Thursday for an update.
After some online research, I found a person is contagious for one day before and up to 5-7 days after symptoms develop. I also discovered flu infestations are common in nursing homes, because a lot of people are coming and going and never screened.
I immediately remembered all the times dad said he cut his visit short because he wasn't feeling well. And that reminded me of all the times, when I worked in an office, coworkers came to work sick. It's no wonder viruses spread like wildfire!
I, for one, plan to be extremely cautious and not visit mom until next week at the earliest. With all the bad luck I've had since the beginning of the year, I'm not taking any chances.
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