Visiting Mom During COVID-19

                For years, I’ve been traveling to Oahu, Hawaii to visit and help my elderly parents. Dad was in a nursing home for four years.  In September, I moved Mom into Assisted Living. Dad died in November and I went back the next day to be with Mom. My husband, son and daughter flew to Hawaii with me in December for Dad’s funeral.

          My brother lives on Maui and has serious health issues that keep him from traveling to visit Mom. My sister died five years ago. Her widower, my brother in law Bruce, helps out with Mom. At the funeral, I promised Mom that I would be back in February or March to take care of her taxes and work on settling Dad’s estate.

          I made appointments with Mom’s doctor, dentist, lawyer, and tax preparer. But the timing for the trip was locked in by a phone call meeting with Social Security on March 10^th.

         Mom wears hearing aids, has minimal technical skills, and gets flustered easily when asked for passwords and pin numbers, her children's birth dates, etc. standard security questions now days. I wanted to be there for the social security phone call along with a phone call to a credit card company. They would not let me pay off Dad’s credit card saying that Mom had to do it because she is on the account, not me, even though I have power of attorney for both of them. I complained to that company and social security that flying to Hawaii so that my mother and I could be on the same phone call was awfully expensive. They didn’t believe that there was nobody else to help Mom. They countered that I could do a 3-way call, but my mother can’t deal with that. They wanted her email. She doesn’t have a computer (because again, she can’t handle it). Companies need to realize that some customers just aren’t plugged into technology and at 86 years old don't want to learn to be. What was the protocol before computers? What good is all the security when the customer can’t get in, but hackers can?

Fortunately, years before all this, my parents had set up who would handle their legal affairs. My sister was the first in line. I was second. So, in dealing with these companies, I had to send them copies of my parents’ trust, my power of attorney, and a copy of my sister’s death certificate so that their lawyers could review everything before I was allowed access to do anything. 
When my father was sent to a nursing home because of his advanced dementia, Mom and I added me to her bank accounts so that I could help her pay bills. Dad had handled their finances. He knew how to email. Mom used the computer to play video games. Handling the death of a parent must be an overwhelming mess for people whose parents didn’t have the foresight or time to set things up.

For my March trip, I had planned to stay with my brother-in-law Bruce, who now lives in Mom and Dad’s house. A week before I left, he texted that he had a cold. I’m a germaphobe, so I made arrangements to stay at a nearby B&B where I’ve stayed many times. My usual germaphobia was fueled further by the fact that at this point, it’s dangerous, possibly deadly if Mom gets sick.  She is 86-years-old and has underlying health issues. Fortunately, Bruce started avoided her as soon as he realized he was sick.

        When I booked my flight, the corona virus was only in China. Since then, the first US cases had shown up, and they were in Washington. My son Johnny was concerned about me traveling. Honolulu, along with Seattle, and Los Angeles was one of the airports that flights from China to the US were funneled through. 
        Tourism is Hawaii’s main source of income. In January, 852,037 visitors flew to Hawaii. 575,464 were domestic visitors. 277,573 were international visitors. Even though there were no reported cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii, I was nervous. Hopefully I could get in and out of Hawaii before the corona virus reached pandemic status.

         I topped off supplies at home for John before I left. I avoided Costco and Wal-Mart since that’s where everybody else was going (with their germs). Instead I went to my regular grocery store and picked up a few things. I usually keep our house well stocked, so all I added were things we were a little low on: tissue, Airborne, ibuprofen, Spam, a 20 pound bag of rice, a 25 pound bag of dog food, canned dog food, and canned cat food.  We already had a freezer full of salmon and halibut from John’s last Alaska fishing trip, and even though I don’t like fish, if things got desperate, that tune would change.  There were also frozen pot pies and various frozen vegetables in the freezer.

On February 29, the first death reported in the United States was in Kirkland, Washington, 42 miles north of where I live. When I flew out of Washington the next day, Sunday March 1, there were 6 known cases, and 1 death. Most were at Kirkland’s Life Center nursing home in King County. 
Seattle is in King County. It’s where daughter Sarah lives, and where she and Johnny work. John and I live in Puyallup, Pierce County to the south of King County. Johnny lives in Everett, Snohomish County.

          

Sunday, March 1    I’ve been flying back and forth to Hawaii so much that along with mileage points, I have a regular routine. I keep a binder with my parents’ information, shorts and t-shirts, and travel items in a bin to pack for each trip. This time I included a couple of rolls of toilet paper since Hawaii might have a shortage with people going nuts. (If I ran out, I could always use banana or ti leafs, I joked with my family.) 
      When booking my flight, I always upgrade to an extra comfort seat. I try to sit in the window seat of an exit row, so there’s nobody sitting in front of me because I hate having someone recline onto my lap.  I make sure my Beats headphones are charged because families with children also like to sit on the bulkhead and babies almost always cry on take-offs and landings because of the change of pressure which affects their ears.

I always wear a scarf for several reasons. It provides extra warmth when the air conditioning gets too cold. I can cover my nose when I’m stuck next to someone who hasn’t showered, brushed their teeth or has gas. I can also to pull it up over my mouth so that if I fall asleep with my mouth open, I’m not sucking in anyone else’s coughs or sneezes. The air in planes is very dry. A scarf over my mouth and nose, helps lessen dehydration. 
For this trip, in addition to a scarf, I’d bought a face shield from SA Fishing that is usually used for fishing, skiing, or to block smoke particles during wild fires. It can’t block as much as a surgical mask, but I figured it would block a lot, and look stylish and less scary to kids all at the same time.

Tucked into a pocket of my purse, I also had a zip lock bag with some Clorox wipes that I use at home, and the bag that my newspaper comes in to throw the disinfecting wipe away in afterwards. I wiped down the latch on the overhead bin, my seat belt buckle, arm rests, tray table, video screen and the handle on the window shade. The man sitting beside me watched with interest. When I offered him a wipe he thanked me and wiped his area down too. I settled in and enjoyed the flight.  Those are my usual “airplane” sanitizing methods.

Even though there were no reported COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, with all the tourists coming from all over the world, I added to my disinfecting routine when I landed. I wiped down the handles on my suit cases and didn't touch the hand rails on the moving sidewalk. In the rental car, I wiped down the key, interior door handles and the steering wheel before driving off. At the little studio I was renting, I wiped down the light switches, door knobs, microwave, and the remote. The last thing I wanted was to get my mother sick, with COVID, or anything else. I was coming to help her!

That night and the next day, Mom and I re-connected at The Plaza, her assisted living residence.

The Plaza at Kaneohe

 

I showed her pictures from Sarah and Andy’s wedding that was only a few weeks after my father’s funeral, as well as some of my quilts. She was so happy to see them and eager to show them to the ladies she eats her meals with. She tucked them into a small box that she carries her purse, small notebook, pens and pencils, a sweater and other things in. She puts the box on the seat of her rolling walker and takes it with her. Good idea!

I muscled her dresser away from the wall to look for one of her hearing aids that she thought fell under it. It wasn’t there. It was in her purse. I changed the batteries in her hearing aids and encouraged her to ask the nurses to help her put her hearing aids in when she struggles. When we went to the nurse’s station for Mom to get her insulin shot and pills, the nurse commented that she was glad to see Mom wearing her hearing aids and I confirmed with her that they would be happy to help Mom put them in.

Afterwards, Mom and I went to my favorite restaurant, Zippy’s. It’s a Hawaii chain of restaurants that started in 1966. They have a take-out section, and some have dine-in areas. 

Kaneohe Zippy's 

They specialize in local comfort foods, like bento pacs of chicken, Spam, or seafood that you can take to the beach, Zip min (saimin which is a noodle soup similar to ramen), Korean fried chicken, chili, and an amazing bakery. Mom slurped won ton mein and I had the fried noodles and one-scoop hot fudge sundaes for dessert.

Won ton mein

Back at my studio, I turned the news on. As much as I had resisted getting set up for the e-version of the Tacoma News Tribune, I was very thankful I had done it anyway. Every day, I turned my laptop on and read the online version of the paper to find out what was going on back home. That night when I checked, another person in Washington had died from corona virus. 

Monday, March 2      I had not scheduled any appointments for my first full day in Hawaii. That allowed me to spend time with Mom and adjust. I started going through her mail. 
We filled out a survey for The Plaza. Mom gave them the highest marks in almost everything. The only things she thought they could improve was that the food should be hotter when it’s served and she would like there to be salt and pepper shakers on the table. She also wants them to say in advance what movie will shown in the media room. She hasn’t taken any of the tours on their shuttle yet. She likes the group exercise classes and enjoys the occasional live music. Her favorite activity was when a group came in and did the Lion Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Talked to Bruce and he still sounds sick. He’s been sick for two weeks. When I booked the place I was staying, I only reserved it through Wednesday because that was all that was open, and I figured Bruce would be better by then. I was mistaken. I contacted my “land lady” and asked if I could extend my stay until the 13th. She juggled some guests around and made it work. I could stay there longer.

Washington Covid-19 Report, March 2:  The coronavirus-related death count increased to six in Washington state.  Seattle and King County reported 14 new coronavirus cases, including five deaths. A student petition to close the University of Washington drew thousands of signatures. *The Puyallup School District closed two schools for deep cleaning, and two North Sound schools closed. Two Kent schools announced Monday closures. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

*One of the two Puyallup schools closed for extreme cleaning was my kids’ junior high school, within walking distance.

Tuesday, March 3      I took Mom to her doctor’s appointment at Tripler Army Medical Center. 

Part of the check-in routine was asking Mom if she’d traveled anywhere out of the country lately. The receptionist smiled when she said “No.” I could tell that she had anticipated that answer from my elderly Mom who was wearing her signature lauhala hat with the yellow lei. But when I interjected that I had, she paid attention. She asked where I had come from and when. Her demeanor changed when I answered, “Washington state, two days ago.”

We were whisked past the crowded waiting room, past the scale where they usually weigh Mom, and right into the doctor’s room. The nurse asked if they had taken my temperature at the airport. No they hadn’t. 
Over the years, I’ve met with Mom and Dad’s doctors during their appointments. Mom’s checkup went well. Her underlying health issues were under control. To put my mind at ease, I asked the doctor to take my temperature. It was good, 98.1.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Zippy’s on N. King Street in Kalihi. Neither of us had ever eaten in that particular Zippy’s, but it was fairly close to Tripler. Kalihi is sort of a rough neighborhood. That said, when we were walking into the restaurant, a tough-looking Polynesian girl who had just been swearing at her boyfriend in the parking lot, took one look at me and my Hawaiian mom with her hat and rolling walker and she immediately ran to open the door and hold it open for us. She smiled at Mom and said, “Here Auntie, let me help you! Take your time!”

Fried noodles with a side slice of teriyaki

As we ate our fried noodles, I asked Mom if we were close to where her mother grew up. She said, “Yes, very close.” I knew that my grandmother had been adopted by her grandparents and they lived in Kalihi. Mom told me that N. King Street, the now four lane road we were looking at as we ate, is the road that my great great grandmother used to drive down in a horse-drawn carriage to take my grandmother to school at Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki every week day. It was a 6 mile drive one way with great, great grandma holding the reins. That was extra interesting to me since my grandmother didn’t drive, yet her grandmother was driving her around in a horse carriage. Mom also found that curious.

Mom said my great, great grandfather used to own an entire block there. We drove over to where their house had been. Now there’s a gas station and some other houses there. 

She pointed out where they used to keep chickens. I asked her what he did that made him wealthy enough to own that whole block. She didn’t remember, or maybe never knew. I’ll have to look at census records to see what I can find, but I don’t even know if there was a census in Hawaii since we were not a state back then.

          When I dropped Mom off at The Plaza that afternoon, they gave us a letter saying that visitors from a Level 2 area with COVID-19 would not be allowed to enter. I went online and checked, Washington was not a Level 2 area.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 3:  The Washington state death toll increased to nine. Life Care in Kirkland, was the epicenter of the outbreak. A new coronavirus case in North Carolina was linked to King County after the person visited Life Care. Seattle’s Homeland Security/immigration building closed after concerns an employee was exposed to the coronavirus. That case was later confirmed. Additional schools announced closures. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan declared a state of emergency. (KIRO News 7, Seattle)

An Amazon worker tested positive. I texted my kids and they assured me that they didn’t work in the building that the infected worker was in.

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Currently, there are no cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawai‘i. The DOH is actively preparing for possible cases and working with state, county, and federal partners including the medical community in Hawai‘i.

Wednesday, March 4      Mom and I met with her lawyer to update things since my father’s death. I had my copy of Dad’s death certificate and the other information that we needed for him to make the changes we wanted.

His office is on the 12^th floor. There is an upper level parking lot and normally I park there, then take the escalator up 3 floors to the lobby on the 7^th floor, and from there, take an elevator to the 12 floor.

The last time I did that with Mom, she left her walker in the car. When she got on the escalator ahead of me, she fell backwards, and somehow as she flew past me, I managed to grab her forearm. She was lying down on her back with her head facing down, her hat still on, calmly telling me she couldn’t stand up. I had yelled when it happened and was holding on for dear life to my 130-pound mother with my left hand. In my other arm, I held a binder full of papers, so I wasn’t holding the rail and would’ve had to somehow put the binder down and try to lift my mother who was behind me, up. I didn’t think I could do it before we reached the top. I was going to have to hold on to her until we got to the top and hope that her pants or worse her skin didn’t get caught where the steps of the escalator collapsed and went down into that metal comb-like grate.

Then suddenly, a man, a hero, who had been talking with a group of people at the bottom of the escalator ran up as I held onto Mom. He grabbed her under her arms and managed to lift her up to a standing position before we reached the top. She had scraped her elbow, but was otherwise OK. We thanked that heroic stranger profusely and bandaged Mom up in the lawyer’s office.

This time, despite Mom telling me she’d just hang on to the escalator, I called ahead to find out where the handi-cap accessible parking lot was. From there we'd catch an elevator, and then catch another elevator to the 12th floor. Other than being 15 minutes late from driving around trying to find the correct parking lot, the meeting went smoothly. We scheduled a second meeting to finalize the paper work that was being drawn up. Without thinking, I shook our lawyer’s hand. He looked uncomfortable about that.

That night Johnny called to tell me that Amazon had asked their corporate employees (45,000) to work from home if possible. He didn’t want me to be worried when I heard about it. Sarah had already been telecommuting.  John a professor at Washington State University had also been working from home when able, but going in-person to previously scheduled meetings. As the director of the Washington Stormwater Center, he was supposed to give a tour a group from The Port of Seattle, but they canceled. I was relieved.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 4: The coronavirus death toll in Washington state increased to 10.  Most employees at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in Seattle were told to stay home all month for nonessential work. King County Executive Dow Constantine recommended that pregnant people and people over 60 with underlying health conditions avoid crowds. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle,WA)

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: The CDC announced it is investigating confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to the Grand Princess cruise ship which is returning to San Francisco. That cruise ship is different from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The Grand Princess had two passengers on a cruise to Mexico from Feb. 11-21 who became sick and after deboarding in California were confirmed for COVID-19. The same ship conducted a second cruise from San Francisco and docked in Hawai‘i from Feb. 26-29. At this time, the CDC has not identified a specific risk for Hawai‘i, and DOH will continue to work with them to determine if there is any potential health threat.

Thursday, March 5 was dentist day. I walked Mom up the stairs and into the dentist’s office to be prepped for a crown. It was supposed to be a 1-1/2 hour appointment, but it turned into 2-1/2 hours when he also filled a cavity.  While she was at the dentist, I went back to her apartment to go through her mail, and work on her insurance policies. I was able to use The Plaza’s computer and printer to access my email and print out papers that Mom needs to sign.

Talked to Bruce who went back to his doctor again because it’s week two of his cold and he still feels bad. She said it has turned into a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics.

Usually, Mom and I eat out at our favorite restaurants with Bruce, but since he’s sick, it’s just Mom and me.

There’s a neighborhood Chinese restaurant that we have eaten in for decades. It’s where we held a large family meal after my father’s funeral. This time, we avoided it. The reason the food there is so delicious and authentic, is because their cooks come from China. Had they been in China recently to visit their families for the lunar new year? I couldn’t risk it. We’ll be back once COVID-19 has run its course.

Mom ate breakfast and dinner at The Plaza everyday. I ate lunch with her every day, usually picking something up at a fast food drive-thru although we ate at Zippy’s a few more times. I was trying to cut down on contact with other people.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 5:  The death toll increased to 11. A CenturyLink Field employee who worked the Feb. 2 Seattle Dragons game tested positive for the coronavirus. The total case number increased to 70 statewide. That included 10 deaths from 51 cases in King County; 18 cases and one death in Snohomish County; and one death in Grant County. Snohomish County and Everett officials declared a state of emergency. Copays and deductibles for coronavirus testing were waived by emergency order in Washington state. Vice President Mike Pence landed in Washington and met with Gov. Jay Inslee. Families of Life Care Center patients in Kirkland talked about the deaths of their parents from the coronavirus and said staff members were overwhelmed.  Amazon employees in Seattle and Bellevue whose jobs can be done remotely were advised to work from home. Microsoft, Nordstrom and Starbucks corporate offices and Boeing also gave the same advice to workers.

Hawaii State Department of Health Covid-19 Report:  Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation that allows the state to work quickly and efficiently to prevent, contain and mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, and to provide disaster relief if necessary. Hawai‘i DOH expanded testing procedures according to CDC’s expanded criteria for testing to include persons with symptoms who had traveled to areas outside of China with known spread of COVID-19.

Friday, March 6      No appointments today. I spent the day on the phone contacting insurance companies and paying bills for Mom. We also did some banking. We checked her safe deposit box to see if there were any life insurance policies in it, but there weren’t.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 6:   Emerald City Comicon, which brings tens of thousands of visitors to Seattle and tens of millions of dollars to the local economy, was postponed. The University of Washington announced classes would no longer meet in person beginning the following Monday.  Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and Bellevue College also announced classes would no longer meet in person. *Pierce County health officials announced the first confirmed coronavirus case there. Other large events locally and nationally were canceled. Winter graduation at Western Washington University was canceled. The Ida Culver House, in Seattle, also reported a positive coronavirus case. That man, Kenneth Robert Hunt, 86, had underlying health issues and died March 9.

*The person was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.  

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: First presumptive case of COVID-19 in Hawaii. Patient believed to have caught it on the Grand Princess Cruise in Mexico.

Saturday, March 7    Normally, at The Plaza, all visitors have to sign in and out. Residents are also asked to sign in and out. 

Today the doors were locked and a notice was posted on the glass. All visitors were now required to have their temperatures taken, no kids under age 13 were allowed. I thought this was a good idea. 

The young lady who checked me in is one of my favorite people there. She grew up in Bellevue, WA and has family in western Washington. My temperature was 98.1, so I was allowed in.

On my way to Mom’s I noticed the Leonard’s bakery truck parked at Windward Mall. It’s not always there. Mom was excited. We drove over and she waited in the car while I ordered a dozen piping hot malasadas.

From there we went to Koolau Farmers nursery to buy flowers for my sister Cynthia and Dad’s graves. Mom was happy pushing her cart through the nursery. She has always loved gardening and bought some plants for her apartment. From there, we went and visited Cynthia and Dad’s graves.

Cynthia is in one section and Dad is in the Veteran’s cemetery next door. There was no time for tears or a quiet moment with Dad. When I parked, Mom started arguing with me about where his grave was while I was gathering the flowers from the back of the car. I was trying to save her from walking around needlessly.  I finally gave up and let her wander around the cemetery with her walker. Meanwhile an audience of people who were having a picnic a few graves over offered their opinions of where his grave is. They had no idea, why would they?  They were just being nosy and judgemental watching me shout to my deaf mother, and eventually corral and lead her to where I said Dad’s grave was in the first place. We left Dad flowers, a lei and malasadas, the same as we left for Cynthia marking the day she died five years ago.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 7:   For the first time since its start in 1972, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Seattle and Irish Week events were canceled. The Washington coronavirus death total increased to 16, and there were at least 102 confirmed cases statewide. Starbucks closed a downtown Seattle store after learning an employee was diagnosed with the coronavirus.  (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

Sunday, March 8     My temperature was 98.5 when I went to pick up Mom. We went shopping at Target for things that she needs. When I dropped her off, I decided to take a bunch of her mail and a file with her tax papers with me to sort through at my studio while I did laundry. 
When I started contacting Social Security, credit card, and insurance companies, they all needed a certified copy of my father’s death certificate. That was OK because I’d ordered a lot of copies through the funeral home when Dad was buried. I had my copy, and the rest of them were in a file in Mom’s apartment.

Today daylight savings kicked in so now the time difference between Hawaii and Washington was three hours instead of two. Dad always used to joke with me about the time change, “Oh no! Now we are farther apart!”

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 8:  A US Department of Health and Human Services strike team started work at Life Care Center, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in King County. Clark County (southern most county in Wa) confirmed its first case of the coronavirus after a man in his 70s tested positive for the virus. Inslee said Washington officials were considering mandatory social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus. The statewide totals increased to 123 people in eight Washington state counties. Grant County (in the center of the state) reported its first coronavirus death. King County announced two more coronavirus deaths. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Second presumptive COVID-19 case on Oahu. The individual visited Washington state and felt ill on March 2. He returned to Hawaii on March 4 on Hawaiian Airlines flight 22. (The flight I took on March 1). He was hospitalized on March 7. There are now 75 people are self-monitoring.

Monday, March 9    No appointments for Mom. As I ate breakfast, an official from The Plaza called to tell me that I was no longer allowed to visit Mom because I was from Washington state. Mom could come out to the curb to meet me, but I could not enter the building. I told her I understood their concerns and appreciate their precautions. I was glad I’d taken what I had from her apartment. Unfortunately, I hadn’t taken the certified copies of Dad’s death certificate.

At noon, I met with Mom’s financial advisor. Stocks plunged 7% on Wall Street, triggering a 15-minute trading halt. It was the Dow’s worst day since the 2008 recession. We went over Mom’s accounts to see how they were affected and talked strategy.

After the meeting, I called Mom and explained that I was not allowed into The Plaza until March 15th, but my flight back was scheduled for the 13^th. She was very upset. I asked her to look for the copies of Dad’s death certificates and told her the two places where I thought they were. She could bring them out to me later when I picked her up at the curb. When I met her she said she couldn’t find them.

We went to Ross to buy her a sweatshirt, and settled for a cardigan sweater instead. 

Bruce called to tell me that he was on his second round of antibiotics. He said that he asked his doctor if he should be tested for COVID-19 and she said he didn’t fit the parameters to be tested because he hadn’t traveled. (But, he caught this "cold" from his boss who had traveled to Las Vegas.) I told him about the new safety measures in place at The Plaza.

Since I couldn’t use The Plaza’s computer or copier anymore, I wouldn’t be able to access some insurance papers emailed to me that Mom needed to sign. Driving back to the studio, Sarah called. I explained my dilemma. She suggested I go to the library, but when she checked, they were already closed and not open tomorrow. Then she said that if I went to UPS, I could get online and print what I needed. She checked and they would be open for a few more hours. I was so glad she called because I was exasperated. I headed to UPS and took care of business.

Afterwards, I went to Target to get a thermometer and more Airborne. Their shelves were empty. It was the same story at Long’s drugstore, and Walgreens. I finally found some at Seven Eleven where I had started buying The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper each morning.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 9: The statewide death toll increased to 22 deaths. Jefferson County confirmed its first coronavirus case, which was a man who visited Life Care Center in Kirkland and traveled back to Jefferson County (out on the Olympic peninsula). The State Department warned about cruise ship travel.  The number of deaths linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland increased to 19. University of Washington Medicine explained plans to let some people be tested in their cars. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Seniors are at a greater risk for COVID-19, especially those who have underlying health conditions. Older adults and individuals with underlying health issues should avoid non-essential travel, including cruises. Avoid large crowds, wash your hands, and keep medications and groceries on-hand. 

Tuesday, March 10   Mom stayed up until 2AM looking for the death certificates, but couldn’t find them. I asked The Plaza if I could go in if my temperature was normal and I wore a mask. They said no, but asked if I had an I-phone. I do and so does Mom. They could send someone up to Mom’s room and facetime me while they looked. Mom balked and said she didn’t want anyone going through her papers. When I picked her up she brought a grocery bag of files down on her rolling walker.

The initial plan was to have the Social Security phone meeting with Mom in her apartment where she has a close captioned phone that she can read the conversation on, but that was out since I was no longer allowed in the building. I took her to my studio and waited for the call from Social Security with my phone on speaker. We got everything taken care of, but they would need certified copies of Mom and Dad’s marriage certificate and Dad’s death certificate. In one of the files that Mom brought to me, she had their marriage certificate, but no death certificate. The Social Security lady told me that if I didn’t get it to them within 30 days, we’d have to start the process over. 

I went online to Hawaii State Vital Records to order certified copies of death certificates. It would take 4-6 weeks. I called John at home and asked him to check my files there. It was a long shot, but maybe I had more copies that he could FedEx to me. We facetimed so that Mom could see how that worked. He didn’t find any copies. Although she liked watching my dogs and cat follow John around, Mom said she still didn’t want anyone in her apartment looking through her files.

I can’t get into her apartment until the 15th because the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days and I arrived on the first. My temperature today was 97.3. I decided to extend my trip to Wednesday the 18th. That way I would have time to get into her apartment to find the death certificates on Sunday the 15^th and then have Monday and Tuesday to go to Social Security and also get her taxes together. I don’t want to have to go home and then turn around to make another trip. Who knows what’s going to happen with COVID-19?

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 10: The new statewide coronavirus case number, as reported by health officials, reached at least 269. There were two new deaths reported in King County and 74 new cases there. The Snohomish Health District reported 17 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 54. It also announced a presumptive positive case at a Stanwood caregiving facility. There were reports that Inslee would ban gatherings of 250 people or more. Amazon announced a $5 million grant to help businesses impacted by the coronavirus. Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and collaborators at the University of Washington and the Institute for Disease Modeling were looking at the genome sequencing of 18 cases and the infection rate in the recent Seattle Flu Study. Based on that data, they believed there could be 1,100 active infections, Bedford told The Associated Press. (KIRO News 7, Seattle, WA)

Wednesday, March 11   My temperature is 97.3. Busy day. Mom had her second dentist appointment to have a permanent crown put in along with a teeth cleaning. Then in the afternoon, we went to the follow up appointment with her lawyer. She signed the paperwork and everything is finalized. When we left, I told Mom that now we just needed to find an Indian chief since we'd seen a doctor, and a lawyer. She giggled at my little joke from the Tinker, Tailor counting game, "doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief." 

Worked on moving my return flight to Washington from the 13^th to the 18^th. The news says that Hawaiian Airlines is waiving change fees. That way I can get into Mom’s apartment on Sunday. Johnny is not happy about that decision. He doesn’t want me to get stuck in Hawaii.

I called Hawaiian Airlines and a recording said that due to the high volume of calls there could possibly be an hour wait time so I went online to change my flight. I also talked to my “land lady” and asked for an extension. Luckily, nobody is booked for my studio for the extra days so I can stay longer. I will call Enterprise tomorrow to extend my car rental.

Mom fired up the people at The Plaza about not letting me in. Her friends, who she eats all her meals with are also angry about it. They always rally around my mother. In the interest of stopping a revolt at The Plaza, and because I actually do believe this, I told her that The Plaza was doing the right thing and explained what happened at the Life Center nursing home near Seattle. Washington has the highest number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. They need to take this seriously. She was still feisty because I don’t have a temperature, but I told her we would just have to find a way to work around it because they were not going to change their minds.

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 11:  The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Inslee banned gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, including weddings. The NCAA announced March Madness games would be played without fans. Seattle Public Schools announced a closure through the end of March. Many school districts throughout western Washington are shutting down. The Sounders postponed their March 21 match, and the Mariners were working with Major League Baseball on how to handle games. The Woodland Park Zoo closed for the month. The death toll rose to 31 deaths from 374 confirmed cases statewide. That included 27 deaths from 235 cases in King County. Of those deaths, at least 23 were linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland. The Snohomish County toll increased to three deaths from 75 cases. The coronavirus was known to have spread to 13 Washington counties. State health officials also said 36 confirmed coronavirus cases were not yet assigned to a specific county. Luise Weatherill, 85, is the first person officially announced as a coronavirus victim by the King County medical examiner, though her death is not the first from the coronavirus in King County. Weatherill was first identified by her son, Mike, outside Life Care Center during the March 5 family briefing with reporters. Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, announced they had the coronavirus. President Trump announced Wednesday a 30-day travel ban on all incoming travel from Europe, except for the U.K. The ban begins Friday. U.S. citizens are exempt and will be directed to airports where screening can take place. The NBA suspended games. On Wednesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell closed her D.C. office after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. The person has been in isolation since symptoms started. That person has not had any known contact with the senator or other members of Congress.  (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 Report: The Department of Health (DOH) has reached out to its federal partners regarding media reports of a Canadian visitor who, upon return to Canada, was confirmed positive for COVID-19. DOH has not received any information on this individual to this point. DOH has temporarily suspended tours to Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Molokai) until April 11, 2020 as a public health measure to protect the vulnerable population of patients. The DOH is launching a statewide surveillance testing program to identify cases of community spread of the coronavirus. This additional layer of testing helps detect COVID-19 cases earlier so that appropriate steps can be taken to contain the virus. About 200 COVID-19 tests will be conducted each week under the program. Samples collected for influenza testing from patients with respiratory symptoms will be randomly selected and also tested for COVID-19. These samples are collected by healthcare providers in doctor’s offices and other outpatient settings. The information will help responders understand the scope if such a spread when it occurs.

Thursday, March 12    When I woke up and turned the news on, I discovered that last night President Trump banned all travel from Europe. Johnny texted me an article that said Trump is considering stopping domestic travel from hotspots. Seattle has the most COVID-19 cases in the US. Johnny was right to sound the alarm.  For all I knew, maybe I wouldn’t be able to get into The Plaza on Sunday anyway. I better stick with my original plan and fly back tomorrow.

When I checked my email to get the reservation code for my flight, there was an email alert telling me to call Hawaiian Airlines because there was a problem with my reservation. I called and got through the 5^th time I dialed. After 45 minutes a customer service person answered. I explained that I wanted to change my ticket back to the original one I had and leave tomorrow. When she went to change it back, she said it was weird, but my change to the 18^th had not gone through. The seat I’d selected was also still available.

I texted my land lady and told her I’d changed plans yet again. She was very understanding and said it was no problem. At least I hadn’t called Enterprise, so that was still OK.

Now my priority was to really push hard and get as much done as I possibly could before I left. First I stopped at UPS to make copies of the one death certificate I had. I planned on giving the certified copy to Social Security since they had a 30 day time limit. I also needed copies of what I was giving to my mother’s tax lady. Maybe she’d take the “uncertified” photo copy of the death certificate. If not, I’d mail the certified one to her when I got it.

I called the nursing home that my father had been in to see if they could give me a copy of his medical expenses to give to the tax lady. They said they could, but I could not go inside to pick it up. They were admitting no visitors. Someone could come out to give it to me. I asked if they could mail it to Mom’s tax lady along with a copy to me. They said they would.

On my way to Hawaii Vital Statistics in downtown Honolulu, Mom called and said she’d stayed up all night and found five death certificates, (right where I told her they were). I told her that was good and then explained that I’d changed my flight and was leaving the next day. I could hear the surprise and disappointment in her voice. I assured her that I’d pick her up for dinner so we could see each other before I left.

Then I continued on my mission to order more death certificates anyway, thinking at least I’d get a jump on the 4-6 weeks it would take to get them. Vital Statistics closed at 2:30 for some strange reason. I was lucky to get the last parking space in the small parking lot, and lucky again when I found out they’d print the death certificates for me right then and there. If I hadn’t been born in Hawaii, I would have had to bring my birth certificate to prove that I was related to Dad. Instead they looked me up in their database. The next obstacle was that they only took cash, but I had enough on me. In addition to the 15 certified death certificates, they printed out a certified copy of my birth certificate.

Federal Building, Honolulu, Hawaii

Next I went to Social Security in the Federal Building, which closed at 3:30, another strange time I thought. Again, I was lucky to get parking, this time on the street only a block away. In a rare moment of comic relief, my phone rang as my purse went through the metal detector. It was Sarah calling. Her ring tone is Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” The security guards chuckled as Bruno (a local boy from Hawaii) belted out "'Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are!” and I rolled my eyes in embarrassment.  

The Social Security lady that Mom and I had spoken to on the phone, told me I could just drop off the death certificate and marriage certificate and address it to her. At 2:45 I pulled a number from the machine near the door and sat down to wait. Of course there was no option for “drop paperwork off.” I fell in the “X” none of the above category. It wasn’t crowded, yet a man with a mask on came and sat in the chair right next to me. I stood up and moved to create social distancing. An hour later it was my turn. I got everything straightened out and all necessary paperwork turned in.

Then I checked the hours of the tax lady. Her website said they closed at 4:00. They were nearby, but it was already 4:00. I’d have to mail it. I decided to call anyway to confirm when they closed. I was lucky again! Since it’s tax season, they didn’t close until 5:00! I found parking at her new office on the 15th floor of the down town Honolulu high rise, and dropped off the bulging envelope of papers for Mom.

Miraculously, I had completed my important errands. Mom had signed all the forms I could find for her and authorized others over the phone. I have her revised Power of Attorney. Hopefully, the rest can be done electronically, over the phone, or through the mail.  I picked Mom up for dinner and in the car had her sign one last form that I could mail for her on my way to the airport.

While we ate our steaming bowls Zip Min, The Plaza called and said that as of tomorrow they would start limiting visitors to one per day, per resident between the hours of 8-10am and 4-6pm. All visitors will have their temperatures taken. Nobody under the age of 13 would be admitted. Mom and I skipped our usual hot fudge sundaes so that I could go home and get packed.

At The Plaza they lock the doors at 7:00. We got there at 7:30 so we had to call someone to let her in. Mom thanked me for all that I had done as I held her close in a hug. I told my favorite gal who unlocked the door to keep Mom safe and she answered, “Of course!” I took a deep breath and waved good-bye once Mom was inside. I don’t know when I will see her again.  

Washington COVID-19 Report, March 12: The statewide death count increased to 31 from 457 total cases. King County had 27 of those deaths from 270 cases.  Gov. Jay Inslee said all schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would close through April 24. The NHL suspended its season. Stock futures were halted for the second time this week. Princess Cruises halted sailing for 60 days. The Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament was canceled, and the NCAA championships also were canceled. President Trump said restricting domestic travel to Washington state is a possibility, though it’s not been discussed. The Washington Department of Corrections stopped visits and limited events in prisons. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said all library locations and community centers would be closed starting March 14 until at least April 13. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Trudeau, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. A University of Washington graduate student tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases. The Space Needle temporarily suspended its operations until March 31. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)

Hawaii State Department of Health COVID-19 Report:  Grand Princess cruise ship: To date, there have been 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (19 crew members and 2 passengers) on the Grand Princess cruise ship that made port calls to Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai on Feb. 26, Honolulu Harbor on Feb. 27, Lahaina, Maui on Feb. 28, and Hilo on Feb. 29. The Department of Health is working closely with the CDC to notify any passengers in Hawaii and trace all close contacts. The public is advised that exposure risk to tour operators and other hospitality services who interact with visitors on cruises is low. 

Friday, March 13   My flight leaves at 1:15. I have my fingers crossed that I make it out before they stop flights into Washington. Turned my rental car in and caught the shuttle to the terminal. There were only four other people on the shuttle. Usually there’s a very long line out on the sidewalk along the curb waiting to get to security. There was no line at all. I’ve never seen it this empty. Checked my bag at the curb and made it through TSA pre-check quickly with minimal contact with anybody. Lots of people are wearing masks, mostly Asians. I had my face shield, but didn’t pull it up until I was on the plane because I was able to keep a reasonable distance away from people. This feels like a bad science fiction movie, “Escape from Paradise!”

Walked out to the terminal where my gate was and called family members to let them know I was ready to head to Washington. It’s almost impossible to talk on the phone because there are continuous loud announcements, even outside. Earlier in the morning John had texted me a video of it snowing at my house. My weather app said it would be 28 degrees when I landed. I had come over wearing a light weight zip up sweatshirt so I asked him to bring one of my regular winter jackets with him when he picked me up. Sarah had sent me an uplifting video of Italians singing from their balconies while they were all in lockdown. Heart warming! From Maui, my brother thanked me for taking care of Mom and handling Dad’s estate. He told me he had an ample supply of the medications he’s on and sent his love. Johnny was relieved that I was flying home. He had thought of Plan B and C if I couldn’t get home. Plan B: fly to Portland or Plan C: fly to Boise and rent a car to drive home or he’d come and get me. They all wished me safe travels.

On the plane I went through my sanitizing routine. Nobody was sitting beside me and nobody was in the row across the aisle. There were a few people coughing every once in awhile, but nobody near me. The flight attendants wore gloves when they served food and as usual, were friendly and professional. The flight was smooth with very little turbulence. I had my face shield up, and reading glasses on most of the time and managed to sleep a little. We landed on time at 9:55 pm.

Buckled in and ready to fly home.

As I walked up the jetway from the plane into the terminal, a family with three boys younger than 5 years old wearing matching Pokemon jackets was ahead of me. Mom and Dad were each carrying one. Mom told them firmly, “Do not touch ANYthing!” They obeyed. On the train from the terminal to baggage claim, I noticed that only one person was holding onto a pole. But, she was holding it with a napkin between her hand and the pole. One tall, lanky man held on by wrapping his leg around a pole. People were taking this seriously.

The airport was more empty than I've ever seen it when I return home on this flight. At baggage claim most of the passengers from my flight had clumped up right where the bags come out. In my usual germophobic way, I was at the other end of the oval. Nobody was within 10 feet of me when I wrestled my bag off the carousel. I caught the elevator upstairs using my elbow to push the buttons and waited curbside for John, shivering enough to zip my sweatshirt up to the top, release my hair from a pony tail and pull my face shield up over my head like a hood. It took only a few minutes for him to get to me. He said he’d never seen so little traffic when picking me up. It was good to be home.

Laura Keolanui Stark is at home watching the news and old movies on TV, utilizing her fabric stash to quilt, and reading books from her extensive library. A long way from mastering minimalism, she is thankful for her clutter. She and her husband are enjoying the spring sunshine and cheerful blooming daffodils when they walk the dogs through their neighborhood.