Bellingham nurse asks for help to boost spirits of ‘the real heroes of this pandemic’
Esther Abitia, a registered nurse at Bellingham’s Alderwood Park and Rehabilitation, has seen the heartfelt signs, heard the praise and seen the community’s generosity to show appreciation for what she and her healthcare co-workers have done the past nine months during the coronavirus pandemic.
And she is beyond grateful for that level of support.
“Everybody really focuses on thanking the nurses, doctors and EMTs,” Abitia told The Bellingham Herald. “And they deserve it. It’s been rough.
“But most people don’t focus much on the people who have been hit really hard by this pandemic — the patients in skilled nursing facilities are on lockdown. They don’t get to go places or see family, except through the windows. They’ve kind of been forgotten, and it’s really wearing on them. I feel sad, because I get to go home to my family every night, and they can’t. It makes me feel terrible and wish I could do more for them.”
To fulfill that wish, Abitia is asking for help from the Whatcom County community that has already shown so much gratitude for the job she and others are doing.
With the holiday season upon us, Abitia is asking for the community to spread some cheer to residents at Whatcom County’s nursing facilities who have been socially separated by COVID-19. She’s asking community members and businesses to consider donating holiday decorations or gifts to help bring some holiday cheer.
“Residents have been so isolated and cut off from everything — they can’t have face-to-face interaction with family, they couldn’t go Black Friday shopping or sit down with their family for a meal,” Abitia said. “Thanksgiving was so sad. The guidelines are there for their protection, and we have to protect them and keep them safe, but it’s so sad that they are cut off from what makes the holidays the holidays.”
Alderwood Park has a couple of courtyards, Abitia said, and staff has put up some lights and decorations in those areas for residents to enjoy from indoors and even outside with a warm cup of cocoa when the weather cooperates. But she envisions making that extra special and something that every resident could see and feel the holiday spirit from the windows in their rooms.
Staff also have decorated the inside as much as they can, but Abitia said fire safety restrictions limit how much joy they can spread indoors.
And simple gifts, such as fuzzy blankets — something residents could call their own — also would make a world of difference, Abitia said.
“Failure to thrive is a real thing,” Abitia said, “and it happens when you take away touch and feeling loved. We do the best we can to love on our residents, but this has been going on a long, long time, and it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. ... Having something of their own to unwrap — a warm, soft, fuzzy blanket or even shoes — it would let them know this community still cares about them.”
Whatcom County’s skilled nursing facilities and those across the state have been hit hard during the pandemic, with outbreaks hitting a number of different facilities.
According to the latest Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Long-Term Care report, published Tuesday, Dec. 8, nursing facilities across the state have been associated with 6% of the COVID-19 cases (10,492 cases) and 52% of all related deaths (1,523 deaths) as of Monday, Dec. 7. In Whatcom County, they’ve been associated with 9.4% of all cases (254 cases) and 75.5% of all related deaths (40 deaths) during the pandemic.
“These are the real heroes of this pandemic, because they’ve survived through everything,” Abitia said.
If you are interested in helping at Alderwood Park, Abitia recommended calling the main line (360-733-2322) and asking to speak to the facility administrator or social workers. Staff members can put up decorations where residents can see them.
But she also said there are so many other facilities across the county. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services lists nine nursing homes, 25 adult family homes and 17 assisted living facilities in Whatcom County and their phone numbers if you are interested in checking to see what they will allow. Even bringing cheer to an elderly neighbor who has become cut off by the pandemic is a big help, Abitia said.
“I just want them all to be able to see the lights and embrace the feeling of the holidays,” Abitia said. “I just want them to know they have not been forgotten — that they are not alone. I just want to do something beautiful to help perk them up.”
