COVID-19 vaccine may release nursing home residents from quarantine

Knoxville, Tennessee (WATE) -Nursing home residents are expected to be one of the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after front-line healthcare professionals.

The staff and residents of two nursing homes in eastern Tennessee weren’t ready anymore. For them, vaccines mean that they can truly enjoy life with their loved ones again.

Kelly Lohman, administrator of Bee Hive Homes in Knoxville, said the pandemic was tough for residents and staff.

“(We) strive to maintain the safety and health of everyone, and the safety and health of my employees, but at the same time meet all the expectations we need with our states and counties. And that’s an ever-changing goal, “Roman said.

She said it was really the most difficult for the inhabitants because they were so isolated.

“We were excited to think we could go back to what we thought we could go back to some sort of normal life that wasn’t so isolated, and we’ve been careful so far. I wasn’t and I’m not afraid of everything about this COVID, “Roman said.

Roman said he has already talked with 16 residents about the possibility of the vaccine coming soon. She wanted them to be ready.

“(I) asked them,” is this what you are interested in? Talk to your family and talk to your healthcare professional. If I get the chance, I’m ready and I really have the answer, “Roman said.

Most of the staff and residents were vaccinated, according to Roman. They know it is life-changing.

“They said we would get it first. That’s great,” said Bobbie Owens, a resident of BeeHive Homes.

85-year-old Owens misses meeting his loved one and knows exactly what he wants to do first if the vaccine is successful.

“Go to my son’s house. Look at my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren … I want to hug and touch them. They are growing up,” Owens said.

For Earl Lee, 84, the vaccine means staying alive for his 64-year-old wife.

“I have a wife there and I have to take care of her as long as I live. I hope she will live long enough so that she will not be left alone,” Lee said.

Lee was lucky enough to live in Beehive with his wife and share the same room. But they couldn’t even see their families.

“I hope this is one of the steps we take to get it right or to catch nothing,” Lee said.

At Clinton’s Meadowview Senior Living, Executive Director Pam Forgeti is well aware of why vaccines are important for older people.

“My husband, Joe Forgeti, died from COVID on November 30th this week at the age of 63,” Forgeti said.

Forgety said her facility had regular COVID-19 rapid tests when she was first tested a few weeks ago. Her results were positive, so she asked her husband to be tested as well.

It turns out that he also had COVID-19.

Fortunately, only Forgety was positive at her facility, but unfortunately she had to personally experience what the inhabitants were dealing with while her husband was in the hospital. It was. He was isolated and couldn’t stay with him.

“I thought about it. As you know, I’m in a position to make these decisions so that my family can’t see their loved ones and residents can’t go to birthday parties or family celebrations. “It’s in,” said Forgety.

Forgety knew that these decisions were for family safety. I also knew the same thing as my husband at the hospital.

She said she couldn’t have been more fortunate in how well the staff at the UT Medical Center treated her husband.

Forgety said he hopes the vaccine will prevent families from losing their loved ones to the virus. Her husband was loved in the community.

Joe Forgety retired in October after working for 40 years in Anderson County’s school system.

At one point he was the principal of Norris Middle School, but his recent position was the District Safety Director.

In honor of his memory, a scholarship donation fund was set up to help students at risk.

According to Forgety, her husband helped design a program called Fast Track at a school in Anderson County to help risky students regain credit and graduate from high school with one-on-one attention. That is.

“To date, over 300 students have graduated from this program,” Fogati said.

Currently it is called the Bridge Academy. Created in honor of her husband, the Scholarship Fund Fogarty will help those students with all the supplies they need.

To donate, people can go to Educationfoundation.info/donate Choose the Joe Foggati Memorial Scholarship Fund or send a check to the Education Foundation for the Joe Forgetty Scholarship at 212 North Hicks Street, Clinton, Tennessee.

Joe Forgeti’s funeral will take place on Saturday at Clinton’s Second Baptist Church, where COVID-19 guidelines will be put in place. The visit begins at 2 pm and the memorial service begins at 6 pm.