coronavirus in connecticut

Mother and Daughter Together Again After Tough COVID-19 Year

NBC Universal, Inc.

This year-long pandemic was difficult, especially for older adults who live in assisted living facilities and were cut off from their families.

That was the case for Kelly Krivacs, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and her mom, Patricia Fritz, who lives at Kimberly Hall North in Windsor.

After years together and countless memories, they were separated for a year and 10 days -- forced to live through a screen.

On top of missing holidays and birthdays together, Fritz has dementia.

“It scared me because when they have this disease, I don’t know how much memory is going to be there in that year,” said Krivacs. “With Alzheimer’s and dementia, it’s very hard for them to understand and we were very close so we're always holding and hugging and that’s what they need. So, it was hard.”

It was a long and trying year, especially as Fritz battled both pneumonia and COVID-19. Krivacs was in constant communication with the staff at Kimberly Hall North, who she said is like family, and every chance she got she encouraged her mom to stay strong.

“I can remember our Zoom meetings, I used to just look at her and say, 'Don’t you dare, you stay strong,' and she did. She did. She stayed strong. With the help here, I stayed strong, you know. When I had to cry, I cried,” said Krivacs.

Now a year later, Krivacs and Fritz can hold on a bit tighter and longer this Mother’s Day and cherish the moments they have.

“It’ll be fabulous, fabulous to have my mom. I think the only thing I want to do is just hold her hand. I like that. She likes that,” said Krivacs. “This is probably the best gift I could have ever asked for.”

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