Items

• 
  04/16/2020

  Greg Schell Oral History, 2020/04/16

• 
  12/01/2021

  Cathy Mitchell Oral History, 2021/12/01

  Cathy Mitchell was born and raised in Champaign, IL, and currently works as a paid caregiver for a 91-year-old lady. In this interview, Cathy Mitchell discusses how COVID-19 has affected her life, including her work, family life, and mental health. She shares what it has been like to adjust to life as a newly widowed woman and caregiver during the pandemic, and how the pandemic has affected her in terms of her mental health. She discusses her thoughts and experiences, as developed from the initial crisis until recently in this interview, consisting of 3 parts.
• 
  12/12/2021

  Cheryl Oral History, 2021/12/12

  Cheryl is just one of my many Eau Claire County residents who have been experiencing the many issues of COVID in the nursing home environment. But what makes Cheryl’s story unique is that throughout this pandemic she has seen three different outbreaks within her facility and just recently experienced Covid for the first time earlier this month. However, Cheryl claims that thanks to COVID nursing homes, especially her current facility, will never resort back to normal. Much like her potential to engage in therapy, COVID has halted many aspects of Health care’s motivational tone and instead turned into an isolation facility. Through her limited experiences with staff and her few conversations with family and her roommates, Cheryl has hit rock bottom a few times. Yet through her love of the holidays and association with such a supportive family, Cheryl continues through, what she predicts, to be the next major virus that will never leave.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Coronavirus Journal: April 2020

  The essay is composed of entries from my daily journal during the month of April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic quarantine. It shares the perspective of my partner and me, retired senior citizens in Up North Michigan.
• 
  05/25/2022

  Javier Echeverria Hernández Oral History, 2022/05/25

  En esta entrevista Javier Hernández Echeverria es entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Para empezar, hablan de los cambios que habían pasado desde el año anterior. Hablan de la situación en cuenta la pandemia y el programa de la vacunación. Hablan de la gente que aun no se han vacunado por falta de querer. Habla del camino a la normalidad, el uso de mascarillas, del gobierno, y nuevos candidatos. De allí hablan de su vida social, y el concierto de Cold Play. De La Caja, las elecciones, y el seguro social. Otra ves vuelven al tema de las vacunas, de gente que no se quiere vacunarse, de la familia de Javier y las noticias falsas. Habla sobre su vida ya jubilado, de la economía y inflación y gente sin trabajo. Para terminar, hablan de fuentes de información, de las elecciones y el nuevo gobierno. Al final habla del futuro.
• 
  06/08/2022

  Rodrigo Hernández Cordero Oral History, 2022/06/08

  En esta entrevista Rodrigo Hernández Cordero es entrevistada por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Para empezar, hablaron de cosas que han cambiado desde el ano anterior. Hablaron de su negocio, inflación, y el gobierno. De allí hablaron del gobierno, la vacuna, y la mascarilla. Hablaron de La Caja, su vida social, y su familia. De las elecciones, fuentes principales de noticias y estudios cerebrales. Para terminar, hablaron de la juventud y de sus pensamientos del futuro.
• 
  05/04/2020

  Javier Echeverria Hernández Oral History, 2020/05/04

  En esta entrevista Javier Hernández Echeverria es entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Para empezar, hablan de la primera ves que Javier se dio cuenta de la pandemia, de cómo se sintió y sus preocupaciones. Habla de su hogar y las formas en que su vida ha cambiado, también habla de su trabajo de ingeniero agrónomo. De allí, hablan de la economía, de su familia y comunidad. Hablan del gobierno, cambios en su barrio y el uso de las mascarillas. También hablan de gente conocida que se han enfermado, gente que aun viajan y las fronteras cerradas. Para terminar, hablan de las fuentes principales desinformación, corrupción del gobierno y cambios en como ve su familia sus amigos y su comunidad.
• 
  06/27/2021

  Rodrigo Hernández Cordero Oral History, 2021/06/27

  En esta entrevista Rodrigo Hernández Cordero es entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Para empezar, hablaron de los cambios que pasaron desde el ano anterior. Rodrigo es dueño de tienda, hablan de su negocio, de las vacunas y de su deseo de no vacunarse. Hablan del gobierno, del uso de mascarillas y su familia. De allí, hablan de La Caja, el sistema médico y hospitales privados. Rodrigo habla de cruzando fronteras y comparando para su tienda. También de la corrupción del gobierno, vida familiar, salud mental y de los funerales. Para terminar, hablan de la esperanza para el futuro, fuentes principales de noticias y noticias falsas.
• 
  2022-07-02

  Taking Care of My Grandma During COVID

  This is a story of taking care of my grandma during COVID. A lot of the time I was employed as a caretaker for my grandma overlapped with the height of COVID.
• 
  2022-05-22

  Proud to play our part

  This is an Instagram post by reddingrancheria. This is an advertisement for wearing a mask to protect the elderly. Seeing as elderly are more at risk for dying of COVID, I can understand why elderly would wear masks more often themselves, in addition to their caretakers wearing masks frequently.
• 
  2021-08-05

  How COVID Affected My Family

  COVID took a huge tole on my family. We were unable to have getting togethers for almost a year since my grandparents are older. This was hard for us because we have multiple get togethers in a year. Last August, both of my great grandparents tested positive with COVID. They both have many underlying health conditions that made their fight hard. My great grandma pulled through but my great grandpa did not. This was a very hard loss for my family because his passing was the first in our close family. The worst part about all of it was that they would not let any of us in the hospital to say goodbye. We had his funeral outside so all of my older relatives could attend and stay safe. COVID years were hard for my family and I am very glad we are finally on the other side of it.
• 
  2022-04-11

  Medicare Y COVID-19

  This is an Instagram post by crespoinsurance. This is a post written in Spanish giving advice to elderly on vaccines. It advises people fifty and older, and those that are immunocompromised to get vaccinated. It also says that Medicare covers COVID vaccines.
• 
  2022-04-09

  Covid sped up my great grandmothers death

  My great grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and was living in a nursing home for a few years, she started to get worse when the pandemic started so but we weren't able to visit her due to covid-19. She began to become very depressed due to the lack of visits and her son (my grandfather) had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in June and was given up to 6 months to live. My grand father died on October 19th of 2020, my great grandmother caught covid while in her nursing home and on November 20th 2020 my great grandmother died from covid-19. Even though she was dying of dementia, covid sped up the process and caused her to die alone in a nursing home. I couldn't even burry her like she would have wanted because the nursing home had her cremated for contamination purposes. I would give anything to be able to hold her hand as she passed and give her a proper funeral that she would have wanted but covid compromised this.
• 
  2020-12-25

  New Traditions

  The pandemic marked a turning point for my family. A few weeks before the March 2020 lockdown, my grandmother was hospitalized then placed in her final nursing home. Although my family knew the Alzheimers and cancer were progressing, we never expected a pandemic to make letting go even more difficult. Shortly after her arrival in the nursing home, the building closed down for all outside visitors. For the entire summer of 2020, my family and I had to watch grandma through a screened window. By the time we were finally able to go inside the nursing home to touch her again, it was only because her time was coming to an end. By then, my grandmother only recognized my grandfather, the rest of us were strangers. My grandmother was in many ways the glue of our family. To lose her at a time when we could not see each other in person at holidays was extra difficult, but we adapted and even started new traditions. As a Polish family, we always have pierogi and fish on Christmas Eve and we usually purchased our pierogi from local churches that handmade the delicious dumplings every year. However with the pandemic, most churches did not sell pierogi in 2020 to protect their older community members who made the pierogi. Therefore, we decided to attempt for our first time to make our own pierogi from scratch. Admittedly, the pierogi we made in 2020 were not the best (and we made over 300 of them!), but we did not give up. In December 2021, our families could once again gather in person – our first Christmas together without grandma. We made our own pierogi, and this time my cousins were able to join and help. Not only did the pierogi turn out much better in 2021, but a new tradition became cemented. Although the pandemic provided many hardships, I can't help but be thankful for the two years of stillness and uncertainty it provided. The pandemic allowed me to return to my hometown, reconnect with my family, and start a new chapter in my family's history. I think my grandma would be really proud of our new tradition.
• 
  2020-12-04

  104-Year-Old World War II Veteran Beats COVID-19

  This remarkable article tells the story of how a 104-year-old World War II veteran from Alabama named Major Wooten was able to beat COVID-19 in a little under two weeks after testing positive. The article describes how Major Wooten was given an infusion of a newly approved monoclonal antibody therapy named bamlanivimab, and while this treatment physically drained him temporarily, he was able to recover 24 hours later. Wooten maintains that he is still quite drained and “mentally fuzzy” after having COVID-19, but this remarkable man was able to bounce back extremely well from the disease. This article is significant to the archival collection relating to COVID-19 survivors, as well as the collection pertaining to veterans. It truly is amazing to see someone like Major Wooten survive fighting in France during World War II, and then continue to beat the odds by defeating such a deadly disease. This article will do a great job of addressing the lack of input within the archives from elderly veterans on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their lives.
• 
  2022-01-18

  Are Vaccines Working for the Elderly of Arkansas?

  This is a news article detailing a dramatic decrease in Covid-19 related deaths for individuals over 65 per the Arkansas Department of Health. The article provides context in previous data collection, highlighting that 80% of Covid deaths in 2020 were individuals 65 and older. Further, the article states that in 2021, 65% of Covid related deaths were individuals 65 and older. The Department of Health now reports fewer and fewer deaths in general, and attributes this to the rapid vaccination of the elderly, particularly in retirement facilities that were hit the hardest at the start of the pandemic. Indeed, the medical community has a greater understanding of Covid's impact on the body and how best to effectively treat the elderly. So it really begs the question: Are we really safe to pull away from the panic of Covid now that the most vulnerable community is safer from Covid than ever before? Or are we merely in a lull between waves?
• 
  04/25/2021

  Lou Fraise Oral History, 2021/04/25

  Dr. Lewis Fraise details his service as a geriatric doctor during the Korean War and Vietnam War. He mentions his service in both Washington D.C. and Korea and continues to break down how the Coronavirus actually infects one's body and the response of the government as the pandemic ensued. Dr. Fraise criticizes the actions of Donald Trump and states that the spread of more medically-accurate information would have led to a better outcome in terms of the early stages of the pandemic.
• 
  05/17/2020

  Rodrigo Hernández Cordero Oral History, 2020/05/17

  En esta entrevista es Rodrigo Hernández Cordero entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Rodrigo es dueño de una tienda de ropa, tiene 63 años y vive en Heredia. Habla del momento que escucho del virus del covid por primera vez y como ha cambiado su vida desde ese momento. Habla de su trabajo como dueño de tienda y como ha cambiado el comercio. Habla de su familia y como el cambio que el ha visto entre sus relaciones familiares. Hablar de la estructura de su hogar y también de su comunidad. Rodrigo también habla de su fe como católico y como ve las misas por la televisión. Rodrigo habla de las noticias siendo su fuente principal de información. Para terminar, hablan del gobierno y su respuesta a la pandemia y también habla del futuro.
• 
  05/20/2021

  Javier Echeverria Hernández Oral History, 2021/05/20

  En esta segunda entrevista de Javier Hernández Echeverria con Carmen Kordick Coury, hablan de todo lo que ha ocurrido ya que paso un año desde la primera entrevista que tuvieron. Javier habla de sus opiniones sobre el turismo y las personas que viajan para vacunarse, sus opiniones de la Ministra de Salud y el cuidado que han dado a la gente de Costa Rica, Javier también da su opinión de que pudo causar que el numero de muertos subieron tan rápido en el pais. También hablan del uso de mascarillas y de las personas que no creen el la pandemia y la falta de uso de las mascarillas. Hablan de la corrupción de la gente que se están provechando de la situación, el efecto de la vacuna, y la economía. Javier también habla de salidas a los restaurantes con su esposa y la cooperación con el distanciamiento. Habla de amigos y familiares que han muerto al resultado de la pandemia, las ideas que tiene sobre la información falsa que el ha visto. Esta entrevista termina con sus deseos del futuro y sus opiniones de donde y porque origino esta pandemia.
• 
  11/20/2020

  John Verdon Oral History, 2020/11/20

  John Verdon was born and raised in Lansing, Iowa. After attending college, John had a long and successful teaching career at Waverly Shell-Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa. John Verdon is currently retired and resides in the town where he was born and raised. In this interview, John Verdon illustrates how COVID-19 affected his life, his family, his friends, and the small midwestern community he lives in. He discusses the rising number of COVID cases raging across the United States, leadership response to the pandemic, how individuals that he knows responded to the virus, and what impact COVID-19 has on our future.
• 
  05/09/2021

  Galina Pozharsky Oral History, 2021/04/21

  Galina Pozharsky is a Russian immigrant who has been living in Eau Claire for the past 10 years. We discussed her views on why she believes Covid-19 is not that big of a deal and why she believes the pandemic is at least partially politically motivated.
• 
  04/22/2021

  Barbara Hartwick Oral History, 2021/04/22

  Barbara Hartwick was born and raised in Minnesota and currently works between two nursing homes as a stylist. In this interview, Barb will describe how Covid-19 has impacted her life including both work and family. She shares her experience and her ways of dealing with not working and then eventually working during a pandemic. She describes the impact the residents had on her and the impact she had on her customers. She also had some other interesting experiences during these unprecedented times.
• 
  05/06/2021

  Charlene Bethke, Oral History, 2021/05/06

  Christine Bethke interviews Charlene Bethke. They discuss vaccinations, what Charlene’s career has been like as a public accountant, COVID fears, COVID guidelines, the news/media, social distancing, and dealing with anti-maskers/COVID skeptics in the workplace.
• 
  05/06/2021

  Liz Haynes, Oral History, 2021/04/21

  Liz Haynes discusses her life pre-COVID and how she has been affected during COVID as a cancer survivor. She talks about her love of travel and hopefully future plans, politics (local and federal), and ends with positive outlook for the future.
• 
  04/23/2021

  Gary Lato Oral History, 2021/04/23

  This interview is done with Gary Lato who is 69 years old and has lived in Stanley, Wisconsin his whole life he is a retired mailman of 34 years. Here I discuss with him how COVID has affected those around him in his community as well as how it has affected him. Primarily I am getting his thoughts on the entire issue since he says he lives a mostly hermit lifestyle. During the interview, he spoke as an observer of all these things going on in the community and what he is noticing from his perspective. From Garys’s point of view as an older member of the community, he sees all this as something that is going to pass and just run its course. He also touches on how most in his area in the country are mainly just staying out of it and going about their lives as normal and not worrying about it in general. He also goes on to note how this is affecting people in a big way, due to there being restrictions on many aspects of life. He ends the interview with his own spiritual view, that if you have spiritual views may agree or disagree with them.
• 
  05/22/2020

  Nancy Cambell Oral History, 2020/05/22

  In this interview by Karen Kilby, a government contracts manager Nancy Campbell discusses how the COVID 19 virus has affected her life. She discusses the toilet paper shortage, the changes in her family dynamic, social isolation and the shortage of hand sanitizer and cleaners. Nancy also discusses her life as a senior citizen living in a rural area, the economy and her opinions on how government has delt with the virus.
• 
  2020-05-20

  Debbie Woodall Oral History, 2020/04/29

  Retired nurse, Debbie Woodall reflects on how she felt and handled the COVID 19 virus. She discusses her desire to return to work to help her former colleagues and the moment she realized she just couldn't. She also discusses other ways in which she aided the effort to stop the spread.
• 2020-11-07

  You're Fired [PRIVATE -DUPLICATE]

  I worked the polls at Nevitt Forest Elementary during the 59th presidential election. The lines were crowded at 6:00 prior to the polls official opening at 7:00. The energy in the voting room was definitely mixed--some determined, some anxious, and some angry at the previous conditions of Trump administration of 2017-21. Although the energy of the election results are still mixed today still, this meme reflects one of the more amused and joyous reactions of the election turnout. Thus, using one of Trump's infamous lines of his famed tv show Celebrity Apprentice, this meme pokes fun at the importance of public ratings not only in pop culture but in politics as well.
• 2020-03

  Grandma and COVID-19

  During the height of the pandemic in 2020, my family and I were super concerned about keeping the older members of our family safe. Keeping our 80+ year-old grandma safe was a challenge since she was under the impression that she was tougher than the virus, a mindset that seems to be shared across a lot of the elderly community. We tried not to visit her during the first couple months of the lockdowns, but eventually we went over to her house with masks on and stayed 6 feet apart. The pandemic created a difficult dilemma in which people wanted to keep their older loved ones safe, so they stayed away, but at the same time, the elderly were incredibly lonely as they had relied on family visits for stimulation and company. Now my entire family is vaccinated, so we can safely visit our grandmother, but the fear still lingers.
• 
  2021-09-16

  How I Adapted

  Starting a new chapter in your life can always be a little stressful simply because of the new change it brings. Coming from a farming county, I had just begun becoming comfortable moving into a big city during my freshman year of college. Second semester rolled around and out of nowhere COVID-19 immediately impacted my life. My once comfortable lifestyle I have adapted to in the big city changed back to my home where I started online classes. This was quite unusual because I had never taken any online classes and found myself struggling to learn from a screen rather than in-person classes. Weeks went by where I struggled to pay attention and succeed in the “classroom”. Although challenging, I adapted to something unfamiliar in my life and found my niche to succeed in a new environment once again. Adapting to something new can certainly be challenging for people. COVID taught people to adapt to something new in their lives. It brought people together in the community in ways that I had not thought possible. One example of this is when I found out my grandma of 88 years of age became ill with COVID. It was an unfortunate event for my family that took a toll on all of us when we first heard about the news. It became real. Real enough to worry, real enough to take action. Real enough to show the importance of family in times of pain and struggle. Our family had to adapt to my grandmother’s lifestyle for the next couple of months. This meant no big grandma hugs for 5 months until her body recovered from this foreign virus. This took some getting used to as I had not realized the real impact of COVID and perhaps did not see it as dangerous as I thought. Again, I adapted. I adapted to realize that the people around you can make situations like this less painstakingly hard. The comfort and prayers received from family and friends made it comforting to know people cared and were there for me and my family. COVID was something that impacted everyone in different ways. Just remember people listen and people are there.
• 
  2020-03-01

  COVID through the eyes of others

  Going through the pandemic myself has had a lot of highs and lows. Despite having to be relatively locked down and isolated from most people until vaccinated, I was able to pick up a lot of hobbies and overall just learn a lot more about myself. As I look back, I can't help but think about how this experience has been different for others, with one of these groups being the elderly especially. There's one couple that is friends with my family who are both just over sixty years old and starting from March 2020 has been on complete lockdown. They order their groceries, don't see anyone outside their immediate family, and rarely leave the house. While COVID for me has its positives and negatives, I can't imagine how different the experience has been for them, both out of isolation and fear of getting sick. Thankfully, they have been vaccinated and have extended the bubble of people they see slightly. I just can't get over how while some who are skeptics of the pandemic run around carefree, others are locked away in their homes fearing for their health.
• 
  2020-04-24

  Caring for Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

  A blog post from Banner Health on how to care for someone with Alzheimer's Disease during the pandmeic.
• 
  2020-04-18

  Keeping Parents and Grandparents Safe While Social Distancing

  A blog post from Banner Health on how to keep elderly family members safe
• 
  2021-08-28

  Visiting Grandma

  This photograph is from when my mom, dad, brother, brother's fiancé, and I flew to Georgia to visit my declining grandmother. For my entire life, my grandma, my mom's mom, lived in the next town over, only about seven miles away. However, as she aged and as the isolation from the pandemic set in, my family decided that it would be best for her to move to Georgia to live with my aunt, my mom's sister. Although we tried to take care of my grandma from the start of the pandemic through when she left in October of 2020, we lived in perpetual uncertainty and fear of exposing her to the virus. Every time we had her come over for dinner, we were afraid that we were taking a gamble, especially when the pandemic was just starting. My grandma moved to a care facility in Georgia in April. Since my grandma, my family, and I were all vaccinated, we planned a short trip to make sure we got to see her one more time. Although we were masked and only had a limited amount of time, getting to see us again meant a tremendous amount to my grandma.
• 
  2021-03-02

  A Religious Sister’s Service with the Medical Reserve Corps

  This article celebrates the dedication of a friend and mentor, Sister Jean Flannelly, SC, who, at age 80, volunteered to serve with the Dutchess County New York Medical Reserve Corps to help people affected by the pandemic. Despite age and some health problems, she felt called to use her many talents as a psychologist, teacher, counselor and religious sister to do contact tracing, case investigation and serve in various roles at COVID-19 vaccination sites. She is an inspiration to me and to many!
• 
  2021-08-11

  Hoping for herd immunity

  During covid my wife and I feel we are very lucky to be senior citizens. We are able to stay at home for long periods of time. We were able to get vaccinated early. We do not have to worry about our jobs or businesses. Our children are grown up, safe and vaccinated. We were able to have time to cook and clean our house ourselves. We watched with horror as people who could not get vaccinated died. Then we watched with horror as people who were able to get vaccinated and chose not to, died unnecessarily, whether for political reasons, fear, or misguided individualism. We grew up with many vaccinations. I made a list -- smallpox, measles, mumps, german measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, pneumonia, seasonal flu, shingles, also yellow fever (required in 70s) and cholera for traveling. It is astounding to me how a percentage of our population does not get vaccinated. Some of the military has apparently declined covid vaccination, but 100%of them received a mandatory batch of vaccines when they enlisted – it is difficult to understand that logic. My hope for the future is that we can get to 80% covid vaccinated in the USA. Experts speculate that may be the herd immunity threshold. More hopes are that the rich western world can vaccinate the poor parts of the world quickly to save lives there and to prevent newer covid mutations. And final hopes are that we can fully return to the full life we so enjoyed in Santa Monica before covid.
• 
  2020-03

  Riding the Covid Wave from Quito to Sydney

  The pandemic was declared as I was en route to Ecuador. I was trapped in a strict lockdown isolated from any other travellers. My book describes my reactions and rescue. As a doctor I was not surprised that a pandemic was occurring as I knew that epidemiologists always say it is not an if but rather a when.
• 
  2020-07-12

  Whole Foods cash register

  This is a photo I took on July 12, 2020, at the local Whole Foods, of a cash register. There is a plexiglass shield at the register, and a sign announcing a change in hours. The sign also promotes a biweekly special shopping session for the elderly and those at high risk for COVID-19.
• 
  2020-05-25

  My Pandemic Stories

  Story 1 -- Personal Reflections on a Global Pandemic: How I approached and dealt with the impending doom of world pandemic. Story 2 -- Global History during a Global Pandemic: How my study of global history in Spring 2020 helped me deal with a global pandemic Story 3--Double Jeopardy: Pandemic + Earthquake = Stress: How a major quake in March 2020 intensified the Pandmic arrival in Utah
• 
  -2021-06-20

  Losing Connections with Older Relatives and with Their Life Knowledge

  I am an individual over 60, which means that my aunts, uncles, and cousins are also over 60, and several are in their 80s and 90s. Luckily I haven’t been separated from family members younger than me, but because of the health and safety concerns for older individuals, I haven’t been able to meet with these older family members during the pandemic. I’ve found that my older family members don’t enjoy connecting through technology, as they know that doing so, although better than not connecting at all, is a poor substitute for face-to-face connections. Trying to communicate over Zoom results in frustration and dissatisfaction for people who are used to another way of communicating, a way where body language, touch, and energy are important components of the conversation. So the level of connection with these individuals has declined greatly during the pandemic, as we haven’t been able to meet in person and our technology-driven connections have been unsatisfactory or infrequent. The lack of connection is particularly sad as this demographic is more likely to fall ill with the virus or suffer another illness, or even death, and I may not have another chance to see them. I’ve lost an uncle to the virus this past year already. I’ve gone without seeing friends this past year, but I fully expect to be able to see them again in the future; with my older family members, this connection in the future is far less certain. The lack of connection is also sad because these individuals have lived long lives and encountered hardships, including diseases and public health scares, and their advice and history would be sources of comfort and knowledge for these times.
• 
  2020-05

  Social Distancing

  Being retired, my husband and I spent a lot of time going out to eat and dance and visit friends and grandchildren. Now we get to wave at our neighbors as they pass by separated from us at a safe distance. Some good friends we do not see at all because they have been scared to death by bad information. We spend a lot of time cleaning and re-cleaning the house and a few make work tasks. I have taken up bike ridging and a group of us do twice daily rides around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood has responded well to the stay-at-home by keeping safe distances. We have small group gathering in driveways instead of homes. Talking about the response to the virus has now become a "do not discuss topic" like religion and politics as households form their own opinions on what is safe. Some friends are laid back and some are panicked. Over all though our social circle is hanging in and anticipating the end of the lock down. Within my circle of friends we were always in touch but are now sharing more joke videos as they show up. My husband and I take short drives, break up the day, and visit with small groups of friends in driveways.
• 
  2020-05

  Masked Visitors

  How has Covid-19 changed your daily life? My husband and I moved here in 2014 so I could volunteer with the city archaeologist, Carl Halbirt, and I have been doing that most every day since then. We have two new archaeologists now, but volunteers aren’t allowed until the virus social distancing is lifted. In November my husband died and after a short hiatus from volunteering I started again. Now, I am in my house with my dog every day. I miss being with people. Even our church is doing online services now. On Easter the priest printed large photos of many of our congregation and taped them to the pews, so it looks like we were in church. I saw myself, and right where I usually sit! How is your neighborhood and/or social circle responding to the crisis? My neighbors are all staying home like I am except for a few Flagler students who went to their parents homes. Some are furloughed, others are working from home. Since I’m retired, I’m just missing my volunteer work. Several of my friends and I have a group text several times a week so we can keep up with each other. My Community Hospice social worker is staying in touch with each of our grief support group members by phone, and several of us have exchanged phone numbers so we talk occasionally. The Tolomato Cemetery group is planning a Zoom visit on the third Saturday, which is the day we have the cemetery open for visitors. It will be my first Zoom conversation. I’m looking forward to that. My church, St. Cyprian’s is open each day for individual prayer and the commons and labyrinth are open as well for anyone who wants to pray or just sit in a peaceful place. How has Covid impacted your perspective of St. Augustine? I am happy that our city leaders have been proactive in closing so many businesses. I feel so sorry for the small business owners and workers who have lost their jobs, and I hope when the danger has passed we can get to a new normal. I don’t thing everything will be the same. I am hopeful the city will be able to help the businesses and workers with tax relief or some other means. I am proud of the way the police and firefighters are connecting with us by social media. How has Covid-19 impacted your use of social media? I’ve used it much more to keep up with friends near and far. I have also been using FaceTime with my daughter and son who live in other cities. I’ve been using Shipt to order my groceries for delivery to my house. What practices have you implemented to mitigate the impact of social distancing on your mental health? I’ve tried to make a small list of things I want to accomplish each day, but if I don’t finish it, I don’t beat myself up about it. It helps to keep me from sitting around watching mind numbing Hallmark movies. I’ve tried to walk most evenings around my neighborhood, just to be outside. I am reading books and doing jigsaw puzzles as well. I’ve cleaned/organized several cedar chests and drawers and I am working on bookshelves now. I am also writing a Corona Virus Journal describing my feelings (and there have so many emotional times during this quarantine) and making note of things I’m doing and friends I am talking with. It’s on my computer and I have no idea what I will do with it, but maybe my children will read it someday and maybe I will too.
• 
  2021-01-25

  As Long As I'm Living My Mommy You'll Be

  Depicts someone who passed away as well as religion. The photo shows blue flowers in the background. On the table, an urn is shown with an angelic figure on top pointing to a necklace on the right-hand side that says mom in a heart with a red stone. On the left-hand side shows a remembrance of life card with a woman named Doreen DeCoursey shown on it in a blue shirt. In writing on the card it says: "In loving memory of Doreen DeCoursey December 14th, 1958- January 7th 2021. God saw she was getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around her and whispered come with me. With tearful eyes, we saw her fade away. Although we loved her dearly, We could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating Hard working hands to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us he only takes the best."
• 
  2021-05-09

  Fred O'Gorman Oral History, 2021/05/09

  Interview conducted by a nephew with uncle regarding the COVID response as it occured in the Republic of Ireland. Interviewee Fred O'Gorman discussed topics ranging from business closure and government response to personal and communal attitudes and behaviors in relation to pandemic in Ireland. The discussion also discussed ongoing vaccine rollout in Ireland and the dynamics of mental health through the course of the pandemic.
• 
  2021-05-17

  Ministry During the Pandemic

  The experience of being a priest during the pandemic
• 
  2021-05-08

  The Difference that 473 Miles Makes

  My story is about the differences between two states; Illinois and Tennessee and their handling of the pandemic.
• 
  04/21/2021

  La Verne Ford Wimberly Oral History, 2021/04/21

  Mini oral history with La Verne Ford Wimberly from Tulsa, Oklahoma
• 
  2021-04-23

  Was not close and personal with until it was

  We were crazy careful. In a bubble of two, for months. We went inside a grocery store maybe three times over the course of a year and not for the first six months. We always wore a mask. We honestly believed given given our personal situation, the best thing we could do was to remain isolated. We worked really hard at this. In the beginning, our mail sat in quarantine. Any groceries that came into the house, we we wiped them down. Some people, described my personal efforts as over the top neurotic. My parents older we’re careful as well. If you haven’t figured it out, this article was written with voice recognition software and the nuances that come with that. However they were older and this meant that they did require assistance. Fortunately they were not in a facility where it swept through. Instead they had caregivers who came from a reasonably fortunate demographic sample in terms of access to healthcare. In other words they probably had better than average odds then someone in an old age home. They always had masks, they have a supply of sanitizer in the car at all times. I’m at the beginning that is not in the beginning, they began to have their personal support workers do grocery shopping, thanking I know banking, pharmacy and pretty much anything that required them to occupy a shared space with others. In December, almost 10 months into the pandemic, my mom did not get Covid. However she required hospitalization. She had been sick for a long time and it appeared to be another infection. Well that was it. Just before Christmas, she began to make a recovery, which included physical therapy. My dad will go to the hospital every day. And during the other visiting hours, my brother would go. Unfortunately over the Christmas holidays, and due to hospital staff being overly per cautious, they had a shortage of staff and we’re not able to conduct the physical therapy. This certainly helped in terms of limiting their contact with others. However, My mom really needed physical therapy. So the progress that had been hard earned, prior to the holidays was Dowsett back and look like it was going to resume in January. My mom spent Christmas and New Year’s in the hospital, with my dad at her side. Then, the hospital restricted visiting. It wasn’t eliminated it was just more restrictive. In the end including my mom go to 13 patients four died of Covid. My dad who what is elderly and heard degenerative bone issues he’s not a patient had not been there obviously the entire time he passed five days before my mom. Once it was determined he had Covid and required hospitalization, they took him from his home to a different hospital than my mom. Each of them passed without any knowledge of the other passing. My dad had remark to me when I was expressing doubt over my overly per cautious approach did he didn’t think it was crazy, I actually thought it was wise. We held a virtual service, it was the first 100% virtual service the funeral home I had done. Again the grammar here is all messed up because of the voice recognition. We begin to settle back in our routine. And March I didn’t feel well, that was on a Thursday. I got tested on Saturday and by that time my wife is symptomatic yeah and we both had Covid. Fortunately, we didn’t require hospitalization, but it did hit us hard and we were never sure if we were going to end up going to the hospital. Our son, who took little to no precautions, lived at our house in a separate section. Where a wall had been constructed. Heating occurred through different systems. He was tested, he never got sick. Recently, I had my second shot, Moderna. The next day, I was as sick, same symptoms as during the Covid infection. It was a severe as the worst two days my Covid infection. Fact in fact, I had managed to work straight through by infection, however I did finish work early on a Friday and got out of bed maybe three hours until starting late on Monday. I’ve always heard that it was the second shot that hit people hard. I was discussing this with a friend of mine, who is generally pretty insightful and has a reputation for solving things others don’t. I don’t know if he was just trying to make me feel better or this was another one of his really good insights. Anyways he had suggested that this was like my body‘s second shot. I thought that was interesting and perhaps someone who reads this may also I’ve had a similar experience or comment on. That is my Covid story And my wife after patiently listening to me dictate this through voice recognition whispered as I was done and I’m sticking to it
• 
  2021-02-21

  Living through COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of a young 75 year old

  Never thought I’d live through a quasi twilight experience in my life time. From being totally free to roam around to try my hand at different social, educational, and faith filled interactions to staying home, sheltering, social distancing, sanitizing, and using technology for daily living within one year was a marathon of changes. I’ve lived an exciting and challenging 75 years. There have been many twists and turns in my life which is what makes me think is the reason for my young can do spirit. The Covid 19 experience is yet another one of those twists that I never imagined. In a matter of weeks our country was practically shut down. The challenge of not being sure who to believe regarding the pandemic was disconcerting. I had just lost my husband and went from living in a beautiful neighborhood, El Dorado Hills, with lots of friends and a wonderful husband at my side who could always help me keep things in perspective. I sold my house and went to live with my daughter in Sacramento. My daughter, Monica, was so generous and tried to make me feel at home and never complained about my “intrusion”. Then when things were getting a tiny bit better for me, Covid rears its ugly head. The news media reported how the Covid pandemic started. But wait, then the news reported the way it started was not the way it was reported. No one knew the best way to protect anyone. It was new and devastating. People were getting the virus from mild to severe symptoms. Many people were in need of respirators and many died regardless. Conspiracy theories were popping up. With all of this confusion people were getting more and more angry. Watching, hearing, or reading about the events around our country were discouraging. Protests and riots were happening. My immediate neighborhood was never in danger of rioters but the down town area in Sacramento was affected. Were we ever going to heal as a nation? Would we be able to trust again? What could I do about anything? I kept my eyes and ears open to whatever I could do to improve our situation. I could no longer visit the elderly in the rest homes by bringing them spiritual comfort and friendship. The rest homes were one of the first hardest hit with Covid. I used to take Holy Communion once a week and would try to make conversation with the patients. It was good for them but it was also good for me to be in a position to bring a little joy into their boring lives. Service to others is a value I cherish. A friend of mine said she started to help making the mandated masks that we are to wear whenever we go outside. It was a great opportunity to help others, keep myself busy, and feel I was contributing to fellow man. The Sacramento Face Mask Project gave me the opportunity to serve again. A group of people donated the materials. Other groups cut the material to standard sizes, while another group delivered and picked up the finished masks. I was able to sew about 200 masks (see pictures). I never met with a person to show me how to sew the masks so I looked on line (something new to me) and figured out how to fold, sew, and press the masks. These masks were put into plastic bags, left outside my door, and picked up by another person. That person would also leave me another supply of materials to make more masks. The finished masks were given at no cost to organizations like the Veterans Administration and other institutions. Our project ended early January since masks are now available for purchase almost everywhere. Wearing face masks is essential but so is hand sanitizing, and social distancing. As a practicing Catholic I went to Mass every day. We social distanced, 6 feet apart, sanitized as we walked into the church building and signed in so that if there were someone infected we could be informed to quarantine ourselves or even get tested. The governor of California eventually closed all churches. We eventually opened for a small limited number of persons in the church building together with the protocol of social distancing, sanitation, mask wearing, and signing in. Opening up for indoor Mass or services again was prohibited. A federal mandate was given in January so places of worship are now able to resume as long as the protocols are followed and a certain percentage of the capacity is enforced. To live my faith and receiving Holy Communion on a daily basis is a privilege I hold dear. It does for my soul what food does for my body. Going to church is important to me but so is being part of a community. Zoom enters my world. I resolved to be “techy”, learn more about how to use technology. It was a steep learning curve but I approached it valiantly. My daughter, granddaughters, and other family members help me navigate the web. The trick for me was to “just do it”. I experiment and did not give up pushing buttons, or keys. Zoom is now a part of my life. I meet with friends and relatives about five times a week through Zoom, Duo, telephone conferencing, internet, email, messaging. I do most of my bill paying by phone or internet. I buy products and gifts through Amazon. Almost all business is conducted by phone or internet. If I don’t know how to do it I just “do it” by calling the company or by asking my daughter, son, or friends how to do it. They walk me through it and it gets done. It’s not always easy or smooth. Scheduling a Covid 19 Vaccination was a long process. After the first targeted group, first responders, was met the next tier was the 75+ yr olds. I’m obviously in that category. Kaiser Permanently got their share of vaccines but not enough. I called several times but they were no longer taking appointments until they got another batch of vaccines. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” seemed to be the message. I tried two counties and other hospitals that were providing the vaccines. I couldn’t get an appointment for different reasons. Finally my doctor gave me the link to be able to sign up for an appointment. I am one of the people who welcomes the vaccine but there are those who are not comfortable with the vaccine and oppose it. Respecting differences is something I think we are learning to do or at least realizing that it must remain optional. Flexibility of mind is as important as elasticity is for the body if we want to stay young. Greatly limiting our family interaction is heartbreaking. Visiting, hugging, and just hanging out together whenever we want is almost impossible without great risks. Our holiday gatherings and birthday celebrations are kept very small or non existent. Not being able to see our elderly and/or sick family and friends is very sad for all of us. I’ve always been a part of my three eldest granddaughter’s lives. They range from 8-17. I have not been able to visit my fourth granddaughter who is now two years old. She doesn’t know me except through video and Duo phone calls. I am almost a stranger to my youngest granddaughter. I have the hope that after I get vaccinated and our situation improves I can fly safely to visit her in Idaho. We never stop growing. Things are not just black and white. Finding the truth or the best solution for a community takes flexibility. We hear each other. We work together. We take chances. We risk. We admit our failings but we don’t give up. It’s never too late to improve. This world wide pandemic experience has allowed many of us to discoverer our priorities. There are so many aspects in our lives that have been affected by the pandemic that it would take books to describe how deep and wide this affects us all. My immediate surroundings that I’ve described here in this little essay is not all that has affected me. I have friends in other countries that have even less ability to help themselves. I am connected to them. I grieve for them and for us, but I won’t give up.
• 
  2021-03-06

  Masked Visit Outside with Grandparents in March 2021

  Wanting to see the grandkids, my in-laws stopped by. They live about 45 minutes away. Everyone was outside, keeping about 6 ft apart with masks on while the kids played.