Isolation Kills Too
Author: Tommy Herndon
My mother was a vibrant Registered Nurse and musician but at the age of 59 she began to show signs of dementia. My dad took wonderful care of Mother but the time came when he could no longer give her the care she needed. We got her admitted to the Veteran’s Hospital Nursing Center in Martinsville, West Virginia. Dad went every day to see her and this meant he had an hour drive each way. I had not thought about that for a long time until I recently read a story about a wife who took a job washing dishes in a Nursing Home so she could see her husband who was in the Memory Unit.
The Washington Post ran the story about Mary Daniel on July 13, 2020. Mary is the chief executive for a company that helps patients with health-care bills. Mary’s husband was a patient in RoseCastle at Deerwood– a Nursing Home – in Jacksonville, Florida. Mary’s husband, Steve, was 66 years old and was in the Memory Unit of RoseCastle because of dementia. When he first entered RoseCastle, Mary would visit him every night. Get him ready for bed and they would lie together until he went to sleep. When the pandemic hit, Mary could not visit or spend time with Steve. For three months, they were separated completely until she applied for a part-time job washing dishes at the assisted-living facility. She worked two days a week washing dishes, mopping floors and cleaning the grill so that when her shift was over she could go and spend a couple of hours with Steve.
In Genesis 2, God said, “it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (verse 18) None of the creatures God had created fit that description so God made a helper for Adam. In Eve, God made a helper and companion (verses 19-24). Eve was the perfect companion for Adam. Together, they started a family and as the families grew they cared for God’s creation and other people.
The pandemic has been a change for all of us. Mary took the job of washing dishes because she loved Steve and wanted to be with him. My father drove every day to see my mother because he loved her and wanted to be with her. As Adam and Eve became a family, they took care of God’s creation and realized that their purpose was to take care of each other and others. Galatians 6:2 tells us that God has given us the privilege of sharing “each other’s burdens”.
Prayer: Thank you God for your creation and for placing us in a community so that none of us are truly alone.
Genesis 2:18 – It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
