I have been asked to provide a critical analysis of my own paper and have a conversation with myself on what I find interesting in the writing and why? Please see my paper below and provide some analysis

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I have been asked to provide a critical analysis of my own paper and have a conversation with myself on what I find interesting in the writing and why? Please see my paper below and provide some analysis.

 

The Effects of COVID-19: A Caregiver's Perspective

           Communities all over the world have been drastically altered due to the spread of COVID-19, a previously unknown virus that seems to be spreading like wildflower, leaving essentially no part of the world unscathed. My own community in Central Illinois is no exception. In order to get a better understanding of how exactly my community - which I have been isolated from since mid-March - has been altered by the pandemic, I decided to interview my own mother, who works as a caregiver in the homes of elderly patients as well as in nursing homes. Aside from this, she has even taken on the task of babysitting her grandsons part-time for my sister - who has been deemed an "essential worker" - due to daycares being temporarily closed. Because of my mom's experience working out in the community during these unforeseen times, I video-chatted with her this week in order to get a better sense of how COVID-19 has impacted her as well as the community around us. Although many people have had a difficult time accepting or understanding the seriousness of this pandemic, the language used by my interviewee details the ways in which our community as a whole has been continuously working together to make a safe and supportive environment for those unable to self-isolate.  

           I began my interview by asking what the first part of my mom's life to change was once the pandemic reached her community. Because she works in the homes of people who are high risk for getting the virus and suffering its drastic effects, my mom stated how she was affected by the fact that the family members of her patients chose to step in as the caregivers of their loved ones due to having to be off of work themselves and/or to prevent multiple people coming in and out of the home. The siblings and adult children taking care of many of my mom's previous patients left her with fewer hours at work, which she states happened "instantly." Another aspect she mentions was the fact that she was typically at work during the times in which most people were out shopping, leaving the stores vacant of toilet paper once she had the time to get her shopping done, another one of the very first effects the pandemic had on her.

           Following this question, I asked how it felt to go out into her community once the virus hit, particularly going out to grocery stores to search for that elusive toilet paper. When asked what stood out that made things different than they were before, she stated "Well at any given time being terrified that when I do have to go into a store I have to be around other people - mask or no mask - knowing that items have been touched by people even though I feel most places have done the best they can to try to help that situation" (Wade). The emphasis on the word "terrifying" is a great way to summarize how my mom felt going out into her community to get the things she needed. The idea of encountering other people who may have been exposed to the virus was a top concern of hers, particularly when being confined into a closed area that is difficult to keep clean at all times with so many people in and out. Her mentioning of items having been touched by other people is notable because there is essentially no way of preventing this, nor is it possible to disinfect every single item within the store. It's evident that the language used here describes how even though she feared going into her community at the beginning of the pandemic, it was also worth mentioning to her that most people were doing "the best they can" given the circumstances.

           I found it important to discuss with my mom how she thought about both her health and the health of others within a different context now that we have experienced (and are still experiencing) a pandemic in our community. She discusses the obvious ways in which we have been asked to consider our health and the fact that we could be spreading COVID-19 without even realizing it. She states that when she is out in her community, she always wears a mask, sanitizes or washes her hands when she can, and changes her clothes when she gets home from wherever she has been. She notes how she is aware of the fact that she has to pay special attention to her own health and keep herself healthy in order to protect the health of others. In addition to this, she mentions how she pays close attention to others' closeness to her when she is in a public environment and doesn't particularly feel that she is able to get too close to others even if they are all wearing masks. This newfound consciousness of her health and the health of others is one way that she is combatting the virus while still maintaining the ability to be a part of her community when it is necessary to do so.

           Along with being mindful of her health when she is running errands, my mom discusses how that same awareness must be present while she is working as a caregiver for the elderly. She discusses the ways in which the management at her job is working to ensure that employees practice safe measures in order to keep the patients safe: "...I get my temperature taken every day when I either go into a nursing home or into a private home. My clients also get their temperatures taken every time I'm there, once in a while twice while I'm there depending on how many hours I'm there, [which] could be my own precaution as well, just to make double sure [that they are healthy]. Definitely the hand washing more than ever, even though I was aware of it and did it many times before the pandemic" (Wade). The language used by my mom in this quote details the ways in which her work environment is a place where she can practice being cautious of her own behaviors while feel safe that others are doing the same for her sake. Her mentioning of how the clients she works for are similarly required to have their temperatures taken just as the healthcare workers are which is "once in a while [done] twice" during her time with the clients shows how everyone is conscience of how their own health impacts others and how others' health impacts them as well. The emphasis on "hand washing" shows how this particular precaution has become one of the more important aspects of staying healthy during the pandemic. This part of my interview with my mom is significant because it shows how her precautions about her own health are being met by a common concern for using the same technique to keep each other safe, even when she's at work for long periods of time.

            Another way my community is working to keep people safe is through the "questionnaire" my mom describes in her interview that is given to her at work - a caregiving agency - which she has to fill out every day that she works in a nursing home and once every two weeks, which she says is required by the state. The questionnaire ensures that she is not high-risk for being around the elderly as well as her co-workers in the sense that she has not knowingly travelled or been exposed to COVID-19. This aspect shows how the community is protecting some of their most vulnerable people - the elderly - while still recognizing that they still need assistance from the caregivers they depend on.

           In addition to the precautions that are taken while running errands or at work, I thought it would be important to learn how doctor's offices are managing the virus while still giving patients the care they need. Knowing my mom had a visit to the doctor in the last month, I asked her about this experience, and she replied: "When you get to the parking lot of a doctor's office you can call their office to let them know you're there. You stay in your car and they will come out and get you and they wear masks and gloves and you are the only one who enters straight to the office room...I was not allowed to take my mask off at any given time" (Wade). Essentially, what my mom is saying is that there is no waiting in a waiting room full of sick people now, at least in the doctor's office she visited. Instead, patients are taken from their cars "straight to the office room," a way in which health care providers are cutting out the exposure that would come from sitting in a crowd of people as they wait to be seen. In addition to this major precaution being taken, she mentions how she was "not allowed" to take off her mask at any given time, another measure being taken to ensure everyone who needs to visit the doctor can do so in the safest way possible. The doctor's offices in my community - at least this one in particular - taking great care of the patients who have no choice but to be seen amid the pandemic defines how those working at the highest level are going above and beyond to make sure their community stays as safe and healthy as possible.

           As shown through my interview with my mom - a healthcare worker who is interacting with the community everyday despite the pandemic taking place - the public as a whole are collectively working together to combat the virus that will linger for what appears to be an undetermined amount of time. Of course each community presumably has people who are resistant to doing their part to keep others safe (for example, refusing to wear a face mask), but my mother's description of what she has seen out in the world around her shows that the majority of people are taking this seriously and being compassionate towards others as we all suffer through this trying time. As I wrapped up my interview with my mom, she brought up an aspect of how she has been affected by the virus that I had not considered questioning her about - the fact that she is unable to see my own daughter due to my daughter having a medical condition that places her in the "high risk" category during this epidemic. While I was asking her about face masks, toilet paper and job security, I nearly forgot to consider one of the biggest effects this pandemic has had on everyone - the inability to interact face-to-face with many of our loved ones, especially those who need the most protection. Though keeping our distance right now is what is necessary to make it through these unprecedented times, every person in the community doing their part to keep each other safe is literally the best we all can achieve as we make it through this novel place in time together.