My 84 year-old father has Parkinson’s and degenerative arthritis in addition to heart disease, diabetes, and other medical issues. He is a fall risk and fell quite a bit. I was working with my parents on getting help, but could only do so much without their permission. They are fiercely independent. Over the summer, I said to a friend, “My worst fear is that my dad will fall, break a hip, and end up exposed to COVID-19”. Two months later, my worst fear did indeed come true.

My father, who has been through so much medically, was staying safe prior to falling and breaking his hip. No one was allowed in my parents’ house. They did not go anywhere but to the doctor’s office. Neither mom nor dad liked this, but they wanted to stay safe. Then Dad fell, needed surgery, and went to a rehabilitative hospital to recover. When…