James Hamilton, An advocate living with progressive vascular dementia and Mary Daniel from Caregivers for Compromise – Because isolation kills, too!
JAMES HAMILTON was a professional speaker, professional college student, father of 3 sons, businessman, teacher in Advanced Sciences and Mathematics, AND a standup comedian. His current profession is as an advocate living with progressive vascular dementia. You can find him on Facebook as founder of the group Dementia family, friends, and caregivers and on LinkedIn in a group by the same name. He is a certified dementia professional, a member of dementia-friendly communities in Texas and a Master trainer in dementia. In his spare time, he…wait, he HAS no spare time!
Mary Daniel – Caregivers for Compromise Because Isolation Kills Too; Can be found on Facebook
Despite her busy job as chief executive and founder of ClaimMedic, it had become an important ritual for both of them since last summer, when she moved him into a memory care unit there.
March 10 was the last evening Daniel was able to see her husband. The coronavirus was rapidly gaining momentum in the United States, and visitors were no longer permitted at the facility.
“I got a call on the 11th, and they told me I couldn’t come back,” recalled Daniel, who said she was devastated after a state order barred visitors from nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
A former high school football player dove and caught a child dropped from the balcony of a burning building.
At first, Daniel was hopeful the pandemic would be short-lived and she would soon be able to reunite with her husband.
“But the days just kept ticking away,” said Daniel. “I reached out to the governor, talked to local reporters and called the parent company of the facility asking if there was anything I could do to get inside. I even offered to bring my puppy as a therapy dog.”