Items

• 2023-01-22

  COVID Restrictions and Visiting Mom.

  My mother has special needs and since 2014, lived in a townhome with three roommates, facilitated by Penn Foundation, a behavioral healthcare provider. I lived only 10 minutes away, and once a week I would visit her on my days off. I would bring fast food or pizza and we would watch movies together in her room. When the pandemic began, Penn Foundation - like most other healthcare facilities - imposed tight restrictions for the safety of those under their care. As a result, I was unable to visit my mother for half a year, and after restrictions were loosened, our visits were relegated to sitting on her front porch eating and talking. Due to a deterioration in her condition, she was moved to a nursing facility. We never got to have another movie day. The pandemic had changed the way I visit my mother forever.
• 
  2022-10-20

  HIST30068 China’s Zero Covid Policy Story 5

  Me and my sister have been wanting to go back to China for quite some times now – we haven’t seen our grandparents for years due to the pandemic, and they are not getting any younger. But the crazy flight ticket price and the concern that China’s strict covid policies will make it hard for us to come back for school made us postpone our plans. It is also difficult for them to come here, also due to China’s covid policies. This June, my cousin gave birth to a girl, whom her grandmother and great-grandparents deeply wanted to meet. The pandemic born baby is growing very fast: she used to be too small for the hat that I knitted for her birthday, but now she’s already too big for it.
• 
  2021-08-28

  Visiting Grandma

  This photograph is from when my mom, dad, brother, brother's fiancé, and I flew to Georgia to visit my declining grandmother. For my entire life, my grandma, my mom's mom, lived in the next town over, only about seven miles away. However, as she aged and as the isolation from the pandemic set in, my family decided that it would be best for her to move to Georgia to live with my aunt, my mom's sister. Although we tried to take care of my grandma from the start of the pandemic through when she left in October of 2020, we lived in perpetual uncertainty and fear of exposing her to the virus. Every time we had her come over for dinner, we were afraid that we were taking a gamble, especially when the pandemic was just starting. My grandma moved to a care facility in Georgia in April. Since my grandma, my family, and I were all vaccinated, we planned a short trip to make sure we got to see her one more time. Although we were masked and only had a limited amount of time, getting to see us again meant a tremendous amount to my grandma.
• 
  2020-04-21

  Banner Health amplía sus servicios de “telehealth” para COVID-19

  En un esfuerzo extraordinario para atender las necesidades médicas de la comunidad, Banner Health ha ampliado sus servicios para ofrecer a pacientes consultas por video en vivo con médicos en un entorno seguro a través de Banner Telehealth.
• 
  2020-04-21

  Banner Health expands telehealth for COVID-19

  A press release from Banner Health announcing that in an effort to serve the community's health care needs, Banner Health has expanded services to offer patients live video visits with medical providers in a safe environment through Banner Telehealth.
• 
  2021-07-27

  Out of Touch

  When I spent the Thanksgiving 2019 holiday with my family at my grandparent’s house, I had no idea that my hug goodbye would be the last hug I could share with my grandmother for a very long while. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC pushed multiple changes to prevent the spread of the virus which included social distancing. Both my grandparents are at high risk with underlying health conditions, so possible exposure to the virus was not an option for them. For us, social distancing also meant family distancing. Thankfully, I was able to have regular meetings with them on their front porch. We kept one of the front doors closed to separate us, and we talked from a safe distance. It was not the same as what I was used to and I missed the closeness that we once had, but they were moments to cherish as I did not know when I would get to hug them again. Sadly, I was not the only individual forced to find new ways to stay in touch with family members. All over the internet, heartbreaking pictures and videos surfaced showing families separated by hospital windows, mothers giving birth without family in the delivery room to support them and hold their new baby, and people ‘touching’ their loved one’s hands through glass barriers. These moments showed how the coronavirus left many families out of touch. Once the virus started to slow down and vaccines became accessible, I was finally able to spend more time with my grandparents without the physical barrier. Lots of people are talking about a ‘new normal’ now that cities are reopening and people are getting to go back to their lives. For me, getting to hug my grandmother again was a sign that everything would be okay, and life finally felt normal.
• 2021-01-08

  Covid over winter break

  Over Winter Break my family and I drove in our Black SUV Ford Explorer Sedan 1200 miles or 18 hours to Cheyenne, Wyoming to visit my Grandparents. Along the way we stopped at the local Starbucks' to pick up a coffee for my coffee obsessed mother and we were on our way. When driving through Los Angeles, California you should always expect to be caught in traffic which was a minor setback, but we still made it through. The rest of California is very ugly being that its just Desert for 200 miles. During this time my sister spends her time spreading her nasty feet across the seat onto my body and refuses to move them for at least an hour. When I attempt to do this I am immediately yelled at and pushed off within 3 minutes. My dog which is completely lazy lays his little butt down between my sister and I and sleeps 3 quarters of the trip. My dad drives the whole time because my mom throughs a fit and refuses to drive even a single mile. And I sit down under my sister's legs under her super hot grey blanket in a cramped SUV in the desert and despite all that the car ride was pretty nice. When we finely arrived at our hotel in Grand Junction, Colorado we went out to Applebee's which I got to say is pretty good. I got the rib plate and a kiwi lemonade which I got to say is really good. At around 7:00 we arrived back at our hotel where we all collapsed and went to bed. At 5:00 we got back up, got dressed, brushed our teeth, and walked out of our hotel in to 20 degrees ferenheit. I made a mistake and decided to do it in sweat pants and a T-shirt. The rest of the drive was much shorter and a lot more scenic with the beautiful Colorado mountains and snow on the ground. we stopped at a local Maverick Gas Station to fill up and we all got out and used the facilities, even the dog. and the rest of the trip was nice. When we finally arrived we hugged our Grandparents and went inside. They have a enormous beefy Black Labrador named Hatti that for some reason liked to lick my dogs ears. Around 5:00 my aunt, uncle, and cousins came over and once again we hugged and visited for the rest of the night. over the next few days we went over to our cousins house to hang out and have a ping pong tournament, I lost badly. Over that time we went to my cousin's friend house to look through a telescope and witness something that only happens once every 400 years. Jupiter and Saturn join together in the sky and and create a bright light known as the Christmas Star. After that we went back to our Grandparents house to spend the night. the next day we went ice scating at the local arena and I swear I spent more time hitting and bruising my body parts on the ice then on my scates. The next day we spent most of the time playing pingpong with our cousin's. The next day we went to an escape room which we successfully completed and the next day it was Christmas Eve. That day was absolutely amazing. It started with launching a potato with a potato cannon across the ranch my grandparents own. After that we went to the shop and we did our own scavenger hunt which is our tradition. And then we went back to our Grandparents house to have our Christmas dinner with our great Grandma who is 92 and had our annual lemon cake. We went to bed and woke up and it was christmas. I got a lot of good stuff. like clothes a new football and a new build your own remote control rock crawler jeep. and then it was time to leave and go to our other Grandparents in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There we had a second Christmas Where I got New Airpods and a lego set. we hung around the house for mostof the days but we went to our other aunt and uncle's house and visited them for 2 days. And then it was time to leave to go back home the way we came marking the end of our trip.
• 
  2020-06-25

  ISAVELIVES

  This is an image taken by Bournemouth Pier in England of a busy summer’s day despite the restrictions in place. People had grown tired of the rules and were just wanting to have some normality back in their lives. People from all around the country had flocked to Bournemouth for an especially hot day and because of most centres for entertainment still being closed, half a million people were pushed onto the beach where it got so busy that a major incident was called by the council.
• 
  2020-09-27

  Grandfather visiting grandson during a pandemic

  A social media post of a grandfather visiting his grandson during a pandemic. It’s a nice picture shared on instagram that reflects how seniors must cope when visiting family.
• 
  2020-11-02

  Bahamas Scraps COVID-19 Rapid Test for Travelers

  The Bahamas is desperate for tourism to supplement its economy. The rules previously in place pretty much stifled any tourism dollars that could enter the island. The new law is incredibly beneficial for that purpose and should allow tourism to regain traction. This is good for me. Maybe I might try to go visit my family.
• 
  2020-09-26

  The Cost of Prison Phone Calls Prevents Family Communication, Especially During Covid

  Phone calls from incarcerated persons to their families has always been expensive but what many don't realize is that the pandemic has made it even worse. Back in March when much of the nation shut down to prevent the spread of Covid-19 the nations correctional facilities closed as well. Families could not longer visit their loved ones. There have been times when phone calls were also stopped because of the transmission possible through sharing phones and just having people out of their cells. But once phone calls were allowed families faced a new crisis, being able to afford the phone calls. Fees for phone calls from an incarcerated person are charged to the recipient of the call or to the prisoners personal account and cost a lot per minute. With so many people out of work due to the pandemic families are faced with the decision to speak with their incarcerated loved one or buy groceries or pay the rent. This article shares the story of one mother and the impossible decision she is faced with every time her phone displays a call from her incarcerated husband.
• 
  2020-04-25

  Okinawa: Sorry We Are Closed

  One of a series of digital posters produced by the Save Okinawa Project, depicting sites in Okinawa and encouraging people to not visit the islands right now. It reads: おきなわ、休業中 Sorry, We Are Closed 今や人口100万人に対する感染率は全国14位（2020年4月24日現在）。県民も感染防止のために外出を控えたり、休業して頑張っています。沖縄旅行は、今は控えてほしい。お互いに健康になってから、シマを一緒に満喫しましょう。 今、沖縄を満喫できない３つの理由 1）観光施設やビーチが閉まっている ２）娯楽施設が閉まっている ３）医療施設がキャパオーバー（病床数40程度：入院患者数112人） Okinawa, closed for business right now. Right now, our infection rate per 1 million people is 14th in the country (as of 2020/4/24). Residents of the prefecture are also refraining from going out, shutting down operations, trying hard to prevent the spread of infection. Right now, we want you to refrain from Okinawa travel. Once we both are well, let's fully enjoy the islands. Three reasons you cannot fully enjoy Okinawa right now: 1) tourist sites and beaches are closed 2) entertainment venues are closed 3) medical facilities are over-capacity (112 hospitalized patients for each 40 hospital beds)
• 
  2020-04-20

  Reflections on reflection

  Visiting my mother through the window at her assisted living facility.
• 
  2020-04-20

  Reflections in reflection.

  Visiting my mother through her window -in her assisted living facility.
• 
  2020-04-20

  No More Visits

  My grandma recently moved into an independent living facility and now I am not allowed to go visit her. If she comes to visit me she will not be allowed to go back to the facility or she will be completely quarantined in her room for two weeks.
• 
  2020-04-14

  A visit by my daughter, Deborah, my son-in-law Keenan, and my grandson, Griffon Jensen to me and my wife, Ruth, in the backyard of our residence in the Claremont Hotel area of Berkeley, California

  The photograph shows my family interacting but separated by adhering to the need for social distancing.
• 
  2020-04-13

  Our doctors visit during COVID-19

  This photograph demonstrates the difficulties imposed on persons who need to see a doctor during the pandemic. Visiting A doctor at this time requires four entries into the doctors office. 1. Go into the office and inform them of your need for medical attention. You will receive a clipboard with a form to fill out. Then you will return to your car to fill it out. 2. After filling out your form you take it in the doctors office where you were towed to return to your car and wait for a text message. 3. Your third trip into the doctors office will be to have your temperature taken after which you will return to your car again. 4. You will receive another text message and informed whether you are allowed in the doctors office or not, if you are allowed in on your fourth trip into the office you will see a doctor.
• 
  2020-03-20

  TikTok of elderly couple speaking through a window

  A video of a husband visiting his wife with Alzheimer's at a memory care center and speaking to her through the window. *Erika Ringstrom, Northeastern University, #HIST5241