As he geared up for his second week of training, the news hit. Two of the most devastating words to someone who needs to connect with others, “Social Distancing.” Oh my, I cringed when I heard the measures that were being put in place because I knew that as willing as Dale is to help others, trying to comprehend how staying away from patrons could possibly help the situation. This was/would be difficult for him to fathom.
The concept itself is something everyone is struggling with in one way or another. So factor in being the true definition of an extrovert with the lack of understanding the probability of accidentally infecting someone else and you’ve got a real formula for a storm of emotions, fears, and anxiousness for Dale. Not to mention we all are trying our best to navigate through these very difficult uncertain time.
We are on week four and it continues to be challenging, but we are making it. Today we sat down and actually created a schedule where every 30 mins we will do a different activity. Some are as simple as watching one of his favorite game shows. But, we realized that planning our days, which also has free time incorporated into it as well, is helping to bring a sense of routine back into our lives and helping to break the day up.
With Dale, he has a hard time with gray areas, so if you say it is best to stay home, that’s it for him. He’s not interested in any neighbor walks or grocery store runs. Thank goodness for the Dnice’s of the world and the virtual dance-a-thons that have been on the internet, otherwise, I’m not sure how I’d get him moving everyday.
I have been fortunate enough to be able to telework so not only are we safe but I’m here whenever he needs to talk. Every now and again he just needs to vent, he really misses being out and about and is trying his best to understand. To be honest, there have been a couple of days that I wasn’t even sure what day of the week it was, which was somewhat concerning.
I wish this was one of my blogs that ended in laughter, although we are getting some laughs in and plenty of family time, but this was really about me saying hang in there.
A lot of therapist are offering telemedicine appointments, which have definitely been helpful. One doctor actually reached out to me to see how Dale was coping and to let me know about the service. A tear literally weld up in the corner of my eye when I hung up from that call. He was particularly concerned with Dale because he knows he lives for social interaction so he was worried and wanted to reassure Dale that this too shall pass. Of course he wanted to know “when??” His response was “I know Buddy, we all want this to be behind us, but we have to be patient.” He said ok, which he totally was NOT ok, but it was the only consistent answer he’s gotten since this whole thing started so I guess he had to just respect it.
If you know a child or young adult with exceptional needs, KEEN Greater DC is hosting live sessions on Sundays to try and get young people up and moving. They have the previous sessions available to watch as well. I have listed the link below for you to use or share.
https://www.keengreaterdc.org/
Be Well and Stay Safe
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2 Replies to “Hi, Welcome to The…COVID-19”
Aww Dale prayfully this will be cured and over soon, I know it’s hard and it’s a lot with it. But I’m glad you have your village. Honestly we need our village and faith during these times ??❤️❤️
Hang in there. Hopefully there will be some “social” ways to navigate this pandemic on the horizon. A computer screen at the entryway of stores where there’s a greeter on the screen would be nice!!! 😉