BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — While there is more evidence that coronavirus does not just target the elderly, they are among the people most at risk.
That's why many nursing homes are banning visitors.
Channel 2′s Carol Sbarge went to Butts County on Thursday, where one nursing home found ways for families to come together in a different way.
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The average age of people there is 85. Some have never used smart phones. For one local family, no walls were going to separate them from grandma Katherine on her birthday.
The “Happy Birthday” song is a song Katherine Wilson has had sung to her for 93 years. This year was the first time her family had to sing it through a window.
“She knew we were there. She didn't understand why. She kept motioning for us to come in, but we knew we couldn’t do that. It made her feel good,” her son, Ralph Wilson, said.
Even her great grandchildren were there this week, singing outside Westbury Medical Care and Rehab in Jackson.
“She loved it. She was waving at her family,” administrator Jennifer Vasil said.
Vasil gave us pictures inside the room as two staff members gave Katherine a cupcake.
Vasil said some people in Westbury Medical Care and Rehab are used to some family members visiting daily. Now they can't.
So, the staff is helping families communicate with their loved ones a lot. They are using social media to help people who may never had a smart phone.
This includes things like FaceTime communications, live videos on Facebook and phone calls at the facility, as well as a window visit.
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The window visits from the Wilson family meant so much for grandma Katherine on her big day.
For her son, it meant everything, too.
“Just looking at my mother’s eyes and the smile when we did this, it’s worth it all,” Wilson said.
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