This article came at a time in my own life, where work met reality. I had recently lost my grandmother during the pandemic. When she was alive, I learned through phone calls with her how the pandemic affected her quality of life. I also heard about the regular staff that really were special to her, and brightened her day started to disappear. As the pandemic charged on, her favorite nurses were disappearing, her roommate passed away, her wing was emptied. There was so much death, grief, and responsibility put on the caregivers during that time, but who really is to blame? I knew that the assisted living facility my grandmother was in didn’t keep visitors out until sometime after my office closed and told us all to work at home. I took all of these feelings, took myself out of my own shoes, put myself into the shoes of the subjects of the story, the shoes of the caregivers, and did my best to represent each of us in an effort to heal myself. I created the opening spread photo illustration because I wanted to show the duality of who the story is about - the staff and residents who were stuck in the middle during an incredibly unfortunate time in history.

2021 GDUSA Inhouse Awards Showcase