Milwaukee Woman Urges Leaders To Adopt Essential Caregiver Policy

WAUWATOSA, WI— A Milwaukee County woman is hoping to create a policy that allows a family member to be considered essential caregivers to take care of a loved one at a long-term facility.

For wedding anniversaries, Jennifer and Roy Whetter used to celebrate with a nice romantic dinner with drippy candles. These days, Jennifer has to make an appointment to see her husband of 30 years.

For the past three years, Roy, who has early-onset dementia, has been a resident at a long-term facility in Milwaukee.

No visitors are allowed inside long-term care facilities due to the pandemic. Roy's facility has a designated area for visits and temperatures are taken before the visit can proceed. Whetter takes the pandemic very seriously such as staying socially distant and wearing a mask anywhere she goes.

Whetter said Roy acts uncooperative and confused at times due to his dementia. Often he wouldn't show up for a visit because of his lack of understanding.

"If we were outside, he would become overwhelmed. The visits wouldn't go quite as well," Whetter told Patch.

"I'm the power of attorney for his healthcare. In order to do that, I have to see and know how he is," she told Patch.

Whetter said there is a disconnection due to his disease but also the pandemic. She hasn't been inside Roy's room since last March.

"Being in his room or visiting would have given me clues as to how he is doing. It is a brain disease and I'm always looking for a clue or a cue that will tell me what is going on," Whetter said.

Virtual visits hold very little value as Roy can't use a phone or iPad for virtual visits because of his depth perception.

Essential caregiver pandemic policy

Whetter is calling on elected officials to adopt a policy that would name one family member an essential caregiver and allow them inside.

Patch reached out to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett but heard no response as of Thursday afternoon.

She was motivated after watching a news report on elderly people dying from isolation during the pandemic. A man from Minnesota's death certificate listed the cause of death as the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and social isolation/failure to thrive related to the pandemic restrictions.

"That is one of those things you hear about in children's orphanages in third-world countries. Not something a man in Minnesota dies of, which is a lack of interaction," she said.

Whetter thinks the facilities and the facility where Roy lives are amazing. However, she said they can only do so much.

Whetter said nurses are overwhelmed and if they get sick with the coronavirus, there is no one to ensure the resident's needs are taken care of. She added by designating a family member as an essential caregiver, they would be enhancing the care.

The following states have an essential caregiver policy in place: Minnesota, Texas and Florida.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health website, they "recognize the importance of social distancing and physical separation to help keep residents safe. MDH also acknowledges the unintended consequences of prolonged physical separation and isolation on a resident’s overall health and well-being. Although technology can help decrease loneliness for some residents, technology is not a sustainable replacement for in-person contact. This is especially true for residents with cognitive impairments, visual and/or hearing difficulties, and mobility limitations as they struggle to maintain connections with loved ones."