COVID-19: My Mom Got Tested

Three months into the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. my soon-to-be-94-year-old mother was tested for COVID-19. She was tested along with all of the other residents and staff at her assisted living facility. Better late than never.

Sometimes never is better than late.

The testing took place yesterday. I asked my mom if she was given the choice of not taking the test. She said: "No." Left unsaid was the consequences of getting a positive COVID-19 result to the test - likely relocation to a separate facility solely for COVID-19 positive patients.

I was reminded of the small scale civil disobedience of the passengers from the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship who were quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, in March. Two thirds of those passengers, 568 out of 858, declined to be tested for COVID-19 after learning that a positive test would result in an additional two weeks of quarantine, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

I only learned about the testing taking place in Connecticut, where severe COVID-19 outbreaks in various elder care facilities have taken hundreds of lives, because a story in the Hartford Courant (digital edition) indicated that nursing homes in the state were opening for the first time to visitors. Spurred by that story I contacted my mother's facility and discovered the testing was occurring.

Don't get me wrong. This testing is long overdue and follows the recent firing/departure of the state's health department head - suggesting some significant failures in Connecticut's response to the pandemic. But the testing of seniors without properly informed consent, including the notification and consent of next of kin or individuals with appropriate legal authority is alarming.

Given the fact that my mother's facility has thus far been COVID-19 free - though that is difficult to confirm since we tend not to test the dead - I'd have been inclined to suggest my mother decline the test or decline it on her behalf. I don't think my mother could survive a relocation even if it were being done in her interest.

There is no question that testing should have long ago occurred at elder care facilities across the U.S. and must yet be done. Older Americans are still dying in the midst of the current pandemic. But the need to respond to this nationwide crisis should not override proper protocols of informed consent. Hat's off to Connecticut doing the right thing. But there's a right way to do the right thing. I want to make sure mom makes it to her 94th birthday next Monday. Wash your hands. Wear your mask.