ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Roselyn Mesplay is a lively, energetic 89-year-old who has stayed positive after a tough year.
"I always say, 'this too will pass' and it does," she said. "Bad times go away and good times come."
A visit through a window was the only way she could see her daughter Christy Mesplay for months because of COVID-19 restrictions. Roselyn has lived at Someren Glen in Centennial for several years and now stays in the skilled-nursing portion of the facility.
"I remember we put our hands on the windows substitute for a hug," Roselyn said.
That separation was not easy for Christy, who typically visited her mom a couple times a week before the pandemic.
"Once COVID hit, visitations stopped until the state said it was ok to visit and that was quite a few months," Christy said. "I couldn’t tell you exactly how many months but it seemed like forever."
The virus even kept them apart on Mother's Day last year.
"We are fortunate we have come out on the other side of it and I still have my mom," Christy said. "A lot of people don’t have their mom’s anymore so I feel for them."
Overcoming the challenges to get to this moment made the holiday with mom more special. Technology helped family stay connected but being in the same room for Mother's Day meant everything to them.
"You think in terms of every birthday, every Mother's Day, every Christmas, every one of those days, you know you always wonder will there by another one," Christy said.
Time with mom is becoming more precious, especially when so much of it was taken away in 2020.
"At 89, you take every day as special," Christy said.
Christy and Roselyn have both been vaccinated. Christy gets tested for COVID-19 every week to make these visits possible.
Expanded visitation went into effect on April 1 at the Suites at Someren Glen. Visits are allowed regardless of the resident's vaccination status except in certain high-risk COVID-19 transmission situations, including if a resident has a confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Someren Glen offers assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care. The Alzheimer's Association of Colorado estimates that women make up two-thirds of the 76,000 Coloradans living with Alzheimer's — many of them mothers.
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