NewsMade Us Smile

Actions

Ohio man uses his company's bucket truck to visit mom quarantined on 3rd floor of nursing home

Posted at 1:26 PM, Mar 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-30 13:26:06-04

NEW MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — When one Ohio man wanted to visit his mother in an assisted living home amid a coronavirus facility lockdown, he got creative.

On March 22, Charley Adams, 45, decided to take his company bucket truck to visit his 80-year-old mother, Julia Adams, who lives on the third floor of a nursing home in New Middletown, Ohio.

Amid the pandemic, the assisted living facility is currently in lockdown and no visitors are allowed, said Adams.

“[My mother] kept calling me and saying she wanted to go out to dinner,” said Adams, who typically takes his mother to lunch or dinner twice a week. “I kept explaining to her, ‘Mom, that’s not possible ... you can’t do that right now.’ She was getting a little bit frustrated and disappointed.”

As the virus continues to spread, assisted living facilities and long-term elderly homes have been hit especially hard. Adams, who said he commends the nursing home staff for their hard work during the crisis, wanted to respect all safety guidelines.

When Adams' mother saw him at her third floor window, she was definitely surprised, he said.

“She [said], ‘Oh, my awesome kid, what are you doing?’” according to Adams, who said his mother calls him “awesome kid.”

“[My mother] loves trucks. When I was a little boy, she used to take me to look at trucks, tractors and other equipment,” he added.

Adams said he’s glad his story is getting so much local attention on Facebook.

“[Friends and family] are calling her. It’s been really great because all of the phone calls really cheer her up,” said Adams.

Ultimately, Adams said he hopes that this story can spread that same cheer.

“If this little story can make somebody, even if it’s just for two seconds, smile. It means we’re doing something right,” Adams said.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.

We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.

Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

Here is everything you need to know about testing for coronavirus in Ohio.

Here's a list of things in Northeast Ohio closed due to coronavirus concerns

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.