Letter to the editor: Heartbreak in Pa.'s senior care facilities

My husband of 61 years recently died as a hospice patient in the Ligonier Gardens personal care home. I am at peace with his passing. He is with the Lord. But now I want to speak up for our loved ones in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

I appreciate the problems government officials had in making and revising coronavirus regulations. Pennsylvania set the same rules for all those facilities. I propose each should set its own visitation rules.

It makes sense. Facilities are all different, from their locations and buildings to numbers of residents and residents’ health needs. Those who operate these facilities know what would work for them. Maybe the virus-free patients and residents could come out of their prisons and enjoy life more. Seeing family and friends is important for mental health.

In March, my husband became a prisoner for the rest of his life. He understood the quarantine and remained optimistic we could hold hands when Westmoreland County entered the green phase. It didn’t happen.

He never had coronavirus and couldn’t accept the fact he was still quarantined. He gave up. I was finally permitted to see him the day before he died. Our children finally got to see him the day he died.

I saw the tears in the caregivers’ eyes. They knew how much John wanted to see me in those last weeks, but it was against the rules. In some states, hospice facilities don’t restrict family visits. In Pennsylvania, hospice patients must be near death. My heart aches for everyone.

Roberta Graham

Ligonier Township