Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 4-16-20

Gratitude for so many honoring Shea

We have said this many times over the past two weeks, and it remains true –— there are not enough words, or the right words, to describe our gratitude for the kindness, compassion and out-pouring of love and support our family has received these past two weeks since we lost our Shea.

The memorial parade was indescribable. To see the hundreds of people who came out to honor Shea and support his family was overwhelming and heartwarming. He surely was a gift to this world, and he will continue to be the bright light we all need.

The texts, messages, calls, meals, sharing of photos and videos, flowers, and constant virtual hugs have made us smile, laugh and cry. Sharing memories certainly keeps us going and makes us even more proud of the young man Shea had become.

We are grateful to live in a community that is filled with such tenderheartedness and we thank you all for your kindness.

A Celebration of Life will occur as soon as it’s possible. Shea will ‘rock-on’ — we promise.

Doug, Denise, Emma and Grace Cohn

Falls Village

Finding help to sustain

The impact of the coronavirus is affecting everyone on many levels, without much support to explore one’s feelings, ask questions and get clear answers.

The dire prospect of people having little food or basic supplies (yes, even the coveted toilet paper) are fleeting concerns yet likely could be taken more seriously by every community. Distribution centers and people doing deliveries have provided lifelines for food and PPE, personal protective equipment.

Thankfully some companies from Elon Musk to Dyson and others have pivoted their businesses to manufacture respirators, according to Ryan Levesque who teaches the online ASK Method I am finding helpful about online marketing.

Most are hoping things will be back to normal before long, yet some New York Times articles are explaining that without customers now, huge amounts of food are being thrown out because it is too much to try to reconfigure distribution.

It seems the government would be able to intervene and help make a way for products, at least milk, eggs and other fresh foods, not go to waste and lead to shortages. Perhaps prices to consumers could be cut down and the government offset other fees for the producers.

At least the concerns are being raised. Now it’s time for more people to brave asking questions and exploring their collective (and individual) responses. These are tough new times and may not be changing back anytime soon.

I explore many ideas and resources on Livfully.org and am eager to network with others online about ways to address these times and many matters. I can be contacted at cppaton@yahoo.com and 347-471-9209. 

Let’s make more ways for all to network in meaningful ways since these Corona Times are calling for the best of everyone’s collective genius and goodwill.

Catherine Palmer Paton

Falls Village

Questions on CRFs

My fellow Nutmeggers,

Our current federal government has abandoned its citizens. So where do we go from here?  As COVID-19 rolls through our state, our governor has many difficult decisions to make.  

The nursing home situation is one of those. The governor quietly signed an Executive Order (EO) regarding it Easter weekend, creating COVID Recovery Facilities, CRFs, with no real explanation of what that means, and how it works. There are questions that need to be answered. 

(Seems like a good way to make a difficult situation disappear from the news cycle in the quiet of Easter and Passover.)

Please define a CRF, Governor Lamont.

Are these really hospice facilities?  

Who is overseeing what is happening in them? A corporate owner from afar who serves to profit from your decision?

The EO includes granting the state the ability to unilaterally move non-COVID nursing home patients from their existing facility, to locales alien to them.

I will let that sit with everyone. And hope you will contact the governor with your concerns.

Then there is the issue of PPEs, personal protective equipment, and we all know that is a broken supply chain.  

How will these places get the adequate supplies?  

Who is handling this medical waste?

Now take these and many other unanswered questions to a rural location, where much of the infrastructure is volunteer, and staffing is a massive issue.

A state of Connecticut Public Health field hospital is a tent. It needs a Public Health staff to accompany it.

We all need to step up now. In order to do so, we need a thorough plan created with dignity addressing the suffering of our elders and their families, supporting the staff and respecting the community upon whom you are laying this monumental task.   

If we are going to be the repository of dying souls, please help us do it properly, with intelligence and compassion for all.

Deborah Moore 

Sharon