GSA Journalist in Aging Article in Palabra: Diary Of A Pandemic - The Caregivers
Palabra has published an article authored by GSA Journalist in Aging fellow Jenny Manrique titled, "Diary Of A Pandemic: The Caregivers."
The article talks about how nurses have had to fight the virus twice as hard - on the job and among their families at home. Nurses have carried the weight of 16 months of pandemic care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities nurses, diligently taking care of elderly residents and patients even as their own relatives were battling the virus at home.
"Vaccinations have recently helped stem the unprecedented health crisis in these [Texas] facilities, where Latinos are a significant portion of the frontline workers. But it will be some time before these essential workers can overcome the emotional toll of the experience...'Nurses are part of high-risk (for COVID) minority groups due to lack of tests, face masks, gowns or personal protection equipment (PPE),' said Charlene Harrington, emeritus professor of nursing and sociology at UCSF...'Since some receive low salaries and hold several jobs, they cannot stay home if they are sick.'”
The article features personal accounts of Latinos on the front lines, in care facilities and COVID units, who speak for many.
To read the article, click here.
The John A. Hartford Foundation is a co-sponsor of GSA's Journalists in Aging Fellows Program.
To learn more about the Journalists in Aging Fellowship, click here.
