Son Visits Elderly Dad in Care Center With Phone Call Outside His Window During Covid-19 Lockdown

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

A heartwarming interaction between a father and son during the COVID-19 outbreak has gone viral (no pun intended). The son, whose father resides in an assisted-living facility, came up with a novel way to visit his dad during the lockdown.

As per Fox 23, Sandy Hamilton, a nursing assistant at Whispering Pines Assisted Living in Anoka, Minnesota, witnessed the sweet interaction and took a photo with the consent of the father-son duo. On March 15, 2020, she posted the photo on Facebook.

“My assisted living is on lockdown so [the son] comes every day to see his dad and they talk through the phone,” Hamilton posted, as per the Daily Mail, “sweetest thing ever.” Hamilton’s post quickly amassed tens of thousands of likes.

In the now-viral photo, the elderly resident, Bernard Johnson, is pictured sitting in a comfortable recliner by the window of his room as his son, Charlie, sits on a fold-out lawn chair in the yard outside. The pair sit chatting and joking together on the phone, just feet apart and visible to one another through the glass.

“I broke down in tears when I seen it and I wanted to share it with everybody else,” Hamilton explained to Kare 11.

Charlie, commenting on the photo’s now-viral status, said, “People probably need it right now. The country’s in disarray a little bit and I think they need a little hope, support.”

Charlie’s father, Bernard, a retired machinist, is 88 years old, lives in his assisted-living facility with five other residents, and wears an oxygen mask full-time to help with breathing difficulties. Bernard’s underlying respiratory condition makes him especially vulnerable to the spreading COVID-19 virus.

As per Fox 5, Whispering Pines is on lockdown after public health officials urged social distancing to protect the Minnesota community’s most vulnerable citizens against the pandemic. Nursing homes and assisted-living centers are among those that have responded most stringently to the advice.

According to the World Health Organization, older people and anybody with a pre-existing medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease is more vulnerable to falling severely ill if infected with COVID-19. The best preventative measures remain regular hand-washing with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes, and social distancing.

Illustration - Shutterstock | Deliris

As per the Minnesota Department of Health, the state had amassed 77 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of March 18, 2020. As per the CDC, the United States as a whole confirmed 7,038 cases—cumulatively since Jan. 21, 2020—as of the same day.

Whispering Pines’ Vice President Sharon Compton expressed hope that others would be inspired by Charlie Johnson’s creative approach in the face of the preventative lockdown. The elderly residents of the Anoka, Minnesota, facility may be on lockdown for weeks to come, and the support of their loved ones is more important than ever.

Illustration - Shutterstock | Maridav

“Maybe when people are dealing with fear and the uncertainty of the future,” Compton reflected, as per Kare 11, “just to know that there is some normalcy ... you just got to figure out where it is.”

Hamilton’s photo of Charlie and Bernard exemplified the side of the COVID-19 lockdown that should be celebrated: coming together in a crisis. With so many people trying to stay in touch with their loved ones, Charlie’s dedication to visiting his elderly father continues to win hearts around the globe.

Charlie plans more than visits to enrich his father’s life. He plans to hang a bird feeder outside his father’s window in the spring so that Bernard can watch the birds.