Day in the Life: How two geriatric nursing assistants provide home health care during coronavirus pandemic

Day in the Life is a series of occasional articles in which The Baltimore Sun looks at how Marylanders have been making their way through the coronavirus pandemic.

Today: How two geriatric nursing assistants are providing home health care for clients during stay-at-home orders.

Geriatric nursing assistants Micshell Player and Cindy Perlow help care for Doris Barlipp of Timonium. They work for the Lisa Vogel Agency, which provides home health care for clients.

Both Player and Perlow have spent much of their adult lives taking care of others, helping their clients with activities of daily living, such as cooking, cleaning, getting dressed and offering companionship.

“Working with seniors, I try and gear them away from news or scary shows that would upset them. I also engage them in conversations about their life and my life. I try to take their mind off negative things they can’t change and introduce positive topics. COVID has changed things a lot. I can’t take my client out to a cafe for a snack or to go shopping so she can feel independent. We can only go for a walk on nice days, so sometimes she feels isolated and trapped. I have to stay positive and proactive,” Perlow said.

Player and Barlipp have enjoyed a great friendship that has been fostered since she started working with Barlipp after her husband died last year.

“Caregiving can be challenging, but especially now with the pandemic, because our entire routine has changed. Because of COVID-19, Mrs. Barlipp wasn’t able to go to the hair salon, so I actually cut and colored her hair for her. It gives me great pleasure to know I play a big role in my client’s ability to stay in the comfort of her own home,” said Player.

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