Western Hills Health Care Center resident shares her COVID-19 story

Judy Murray, a resident at Western Hills Health Care Center in Lakewood, Colorado, is a COVID-19 survivor.

One evening in the beginning of November 2020, Judy started feeling sick.

“I was achy all over,” she remembered, “and the next morning I had a high temperature.”

The worst part of the illness lasted about two days, and it took her another week or so to feel recovered.

“I’m glad it was as short and mild as it was,” Judy said.

Nursing staff treated Judy’s symptoms and made sure she had lots of fluid and rest and, as a diabetic, kept her blood sugar controlled even when she lost her sense of taste and didn’t have much of an appetite.

“The staff was very good to me,” Judy said. “The ones who weren’t sick themselves did everything they could and filled in other roles. We had nurses in here making beds. They all pulled together to help each other. It was nice to see.”

The COVID-19 outbreak response was just an example of why Judy chose to call Western Hills her home after taking part in short-term rehabilitation in 2019.

“The staff are more like family than anything else,” she shared. “The residents are more like friends and family than neighbors.”

Even though she has been unable to leave her room for infection control purposes, she has found ways to stay engaged and maintain her relationships. For hobbies, she has been doing a lot of color-by-number art, both with oil painting and on her cell phone. She is often on her phone for other reasons, too.

“My daughter calls me every day, and my son will either call me or text me,” Judy said.

Another friend also keeps in touch with her daily, and her son has dropped things off for her at the facility.

What has made the biggest difference for her in her recovery?

“The rest and the care,” Judy said. “I’ve felt very cared for.”