Day Twenty Nine - Beloved Aunts and Broken Femurs

Dreadful news last night. I had an email from one of my cousins saying that my aunt had suffered a fall and was in hospital with a broken femur. I was heartbroken. Auntie Pat is 89, the last remaining sister of my Dad. Pat is a twin and her brother Terence, now in a home as he has dementia, are the youngest and last surviving of my Dad's siblings. There were six kids in total. All my life Pat has been there. A fairytale auntie almost. As children we often stayed with her and my other aunt, Connie. They took my sister and I abroad for our first overseas trip to Switzerland. When I was a student I could often be found staying with them for the weekend and when my parents were abroad for a protracted business trip my sister lived with them for a few months going to school in the local area. Pat has lived independently for many years in spite of a fall, possible strokes and stomach cancer. Last year she bravely and sensibly decided that she could no longer manage alone and voluntarily made the decision to go into a care home. Just before Christmas she moved in and all seem to be going well. I spoke with her on her birthday last month and she assured me that she did not regret the decision. I thought she was safe and being cared for.

After the email I quickly phoned my other cousin who deals with Pat's affairs to see exactly what had happened. She didn't know the details. She says that now is not the time to attribute blame to the home for any kind of negligence, maybe later. But the upshot is Pat is in hospital, in traction, confused, and awaiting surgery today. In normal circumstances this would be an awful situation. She's frail. Her ability to cope with the surgery is questionable but in these lockdown circumstances there seems to be nothing we can do. None of us, by us I mean her nieces and nephews, live anywhere near. To go to her in Kent would mean breaking the lockdown.

If she survives the surgery, and I pray she will, the fact remains that she has been in hospital where there is coronavirus. That puts her at such risk. The Care Home has said she can go back there when she is discharged. I hope they don't renege on that as there are implications for the home surely? They are currently on lockdown obviously, Pat's circumstances potentially break that lockdown? The news has heartbreaking stories and statistics regarding coronavirus in care homes. What will happen to Pat if the home won't take her back after surgery?

This pernicious contagion advances into every corner of our lives. I'm sitting here anxiously waiting for news. I can't write anything else today.