Letter from a nurse to COVID19

My name is Jaione, I am a geriatric nurse specialist at Matia Fundazioa. I have been accompanying the elderly in their various health issues for years. 

You have come from far away, almost without notice. There has been no distance for you. You have grown and travelled, putting the whole of society in check. You have succeeded in almost stopping the world, closing borders and isolating thousands of people. 

You've wreaked havoc wherever you've gone. There are many people who have suffered without seeing you. But in particular, you've been at odds with one group, the elderly. Older people, with chronic wounds and scars from past battles, you have become comfortable with them. So you have managed to temporarily or permanently separate many people and families and you have taken many stories with you.

We weren't expecting you. You surprised us. We were baffled in front of you. But when we saw the need, we didn't just stand there and dive in willingly to do what we do best. Accompany the elderly and their families.

We organized ourselves. We equipped ourselves and learned new protocols and ways of working. We put our fears in our pockets and began to work in a new watertight plant, created exclusively for this health circumstance.

A lot of physical and psychological effort went into it: the difficulty in working with the individual protection equipment, the variability of the protocols almost every day, the bombardment of information, the social pressure, the return home with our families every day...

Let me tell you, Covid, that regardless of the doubts, the bad days, the tiredness and the personal circumstances of each one, which were not always good, in front of the patient and the rest of the team we have given our best every day, as professionals and as people. Because in the face of adversity we have grown.

Without losing our essence, our geriatric focus, we have been in the healing and rehabilitation of those who were going to follow and we have put our effort in the comfort of the one who was saying goodbye forever.

In a challenge like the one you caused, Covid 19, there were no winners, but we can say that older people have fought as champions.

Today I feel proud of my training and experience in geriatrics, as well as having been part of a health care team as professional as that of the Bermingham Hospital in Matia Fundazioa.

Finally, I would just like to say that from this experience, apart from the experience, I take with me: the professionalism, humanity and companionship, the smiles of the families and patients in the video calls, the desire to go out, live and enjoy our patients, the desire to know that they are not alone and are waiting for them outside and finally, why not... the applause in the corridor when being taken to the discharge.