My grandma is healthy, but I’m worried about COVID-19

My grandma is healthy but is 94 years old. She still lives at home and uses a walker to get around, which of course is equipped with WalkWise. She doesn’t notice the device, but I can use the app to see how much she is walking each day and use the weekly walking summaries to make sure she is maintaining her level of activity.

There have been two times in the last year when her activity has sharply declined. Each time she had a urinary tract infection which required her to go to the emergency room. Thankfully, she didn’t need to be hospitalized and slowly recovered. I monitored her recovery with the WalkWise app and saw her daily walking return to baseline.

I work in the healthcare field, so I will likely become infected with the Coronavirus in the near future. However, I will likely recover fully, even if it progresses into COVID-19. My grandma is relatively healthy given her age, but if she gets COVID-19, she may not recover. This is why I am “social distancing” and why I hope other people are too. Coronavirus has taken a lot away from me already: gatherings, celebrations, and travel have been postponed or cancelled. I pray that the measures we take today, help prevent the permanent loss of people we love.

My Grandma lives at home, which can be isolating even in the best of times. Like many of us, I’m sure she feels more isolated since this pandemic hit the US. We have communicated more via email and phone calls, and though I am reassured that she feels well, I am still concerned. She isn’t one to complain about things, including illness, until things are very serious. I have been checking the WalkWise app more often to monitor for signs of illness remotely, such as decreased activity. WalkWise has offered more information and reassurance in this time of uncertainty and chaos.

“The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.”

― Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper