An elderly man was admitted with COVID-19. He was very sleepy and did not open his eyes or respond on physical exam.
His family requested that we arrange a Zoom conversation, and I advised them that I wasn’t sure he would be able to participate due to his mental status.
Ultimately, I brought the iPad in because his family wanted to be able to see him, and it was truly the least I could do. I remained skeptical as to how much the patient could engage.
However, once the patient heard the voices of his family members (wife, son, and grandchildren were all on the video conference), he opened his eyes.
His daughter reminded him that he used to sing the song “Sentimental Journey” to his kids. She started to sing it: “Gonna take a sentimental journey, gonna set my heart at ease. Gonna make a sentimental journey, to renew old memories” and he opened his eyes and smiled.
Bringing the family to the patient via the iPad turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences during this terrible time. I am now embracing this new existence in the matrix.
Submitted by Grace Farris, MD, Chief of Hospital Medicine, Mount Sinai West