Sandra Beltz peered outside a second floor window at Phoebe Health Care Center in Allentown Saturday afternoon with just her head and a pink birthday crown visible from the ground.
Below, about 15 family members and friends in party hats gathered before a lawn sign wishing her a happy 80th birthday. Their off-tune, love-filled rendition of Happy Birthday floated through the summer air and over a cell phoneto a speaker by Beltz’s ear.
The coronavirus and the safety measures taken by the senior care facility has prevented the Beltzes and other families from in-person visits for nearly five months, necessitating a socially distant celebration.
In the past, Beltz would celebrate with a large party of extended family and friends. Her two surviving daughters’ birthdays are just days apart from hers, and their joint party became a family tradition. But the virus has put to bed any thought of that, as it has for countless other families across the globe.
Nursing facilities face daunting challenges in the pandemic. The virus is particularly potent to the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, but its asymptomatic spread can make it hard to detect among staff. Isolation is recommended to stem the virus, but that can affect a person’s mental health.
Beltz, an Allentown High School graduate, is no exception. Her Pick’s Disease, a form of dementia that attacks a person’s speech skills, has grown worse in recent months, exacerbated by her loneliness, her daughters said. It limited her ability to respond to the well wishes and outpouring of love from her family outside.
“It’s been very difficult,” said Allentown resident Melissa Beltz-Kochanasz, one of her daughters. “She’s deteriorating, and we hear her deteriorating and her sadness.”
The family offered thanks to the staff at Phoebe, saying they appreciate the efforts. At the same time, they’ve been frustrated. They’d like to have a porch visit, but said Phoebe won’t allow that unless the facility has been COVID-19 free for 14 days, as required by the state. A single case can reset that clock, which has made it impossible for a more personal visit, the family said.
“These are unique times. They’re helping us out,” Beltz-Kochanasz said. “We’ll keep waiting for those porch visits.”
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