Long-Term Care Lockdowns Banished Visitors, but Not Joy

Isabel Oviedo takes the elevator to the lobby of her assisted living facility, clutching her walker with two envelopes in her hand.

Mail drop-offs have become a part of her daily routine, as she dedicates a few hours each day writing letters to neighbors with an encouraging Bible verse. She’s lost count of how many letters she’s sent while under pandemic lockdown but estimates well over 300.

“I have never written so much in my life, not even when I was in school,” the 86-year-old widow said with a laugh. “But I love it. It gives me joy and peace of mind.”

Joining with her congregation over Zoom for this ministry and other Christian meetings has kept Oviedo, and many like her in long-term care facilities, busy and connected despite the restrictions on outings and visits.

“I love spending time with my spiritual brothers and sisters through Zoom,” she said. “I only wish we could stay on longer!”

With the onset of the pandemic, congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses like hers in Naperville, Illinois, shifted their religious services and ministry from in-person to virtual, from house-to-house visits to telephone calls and letter writing.

It’s a change that has allowed Oviedo more opportunities to volunteer. Sitting comfortably at her dining room table, she can write to her neighbors without having to worry about her weak knee.
“My goal is to write two letters or spend three hours in the ministry each day,” she said. “I don’t have time to feel sad!”

Remaining optimistic is helping Sharon Southerland, a nursing home resident in Jacksonville, Florida, through isolation as well. She focuses on the positive aspects of her situation.

Bedridden due to lymphedema, the 84-year-old used to receive weekly visits from her family of faith. But under lockdown, those weekly visits became daily visits—through her computer screen. She joins her friends for congregation meetings and Christian ministry six days a week through Zoom.

“We have so many mutual interests and positive things to talk about,” said Southerland. “It has sustained me.”

Extra time to spend on her favorite website for Bible-based content, jw.org, with its articles like “How to Deal with Isolation” also helped. “I have time to sit here and do all the Bible study I would ever want,” she said. “How could I be depressed?”

Southerland was able to see some vaccinated family members during the brief months the facility reopened to visitors. Now with lockdown restrictions back in place and an uncertain future ahead because of coronavirus variants, she senses anxiety building around her.

But for Southerland, “Whatever may lie ahead, I’m not afraid of it. Joy is not dependent on circumstances.”