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‘Losing precious months’: What isolation and lack of touch mean for Washington residents with dementia and their families By Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times
Published: January 17, 2021, 1:20pm
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Marijo was well into her 80s, but she wasn’t letting her age or her move to an assisted living facility on the Kitsap Peninsula slow her down. She’d visit with her daughter daily, bring home bags of books from the library, where she had great conversations with the librarian, walk along Liberty Bay and point out birds and critters.
She’s gone now. Or the Marijo her family and friends knew, a former school librarian whose worst fear was a dementia diagnosis. She can’t get out of a chair unless someone verbally directs her. She’s largely limited to “yes” and “no.” She’s lost 25 pounds.
Aegis Living created outdoor living rooms, like this one, so residents can safely visit with family. Credit: Courtesy of Aegis Living We find our way. How older adults are coping with pandemic isolation Dec 23, 2020
Wolfgang Mack remembers the early days of the lockdown.
âEverything was done for us to make us almost forget we were in lockdown,â said Mack, 91. âIt felt like a never-ending cruise, you know.â
Mack and his wife Francesca, 85, had just moved to Aegis Living on Mercer Island. They manage to keep in touch with friends and family by phone and, like many of us, through Zoom.