Summary(1:40) Longtime Brooklyn resident, living in Flatlands -- (2:56) Work before pandemic: healthcare worker for high-acuity, high-risk individuals -- (4:04) Now providing remote healthcare services; managing anxiety for members [patients] of healthcare network -- (5:00) COVID questions, limited answers -- (8:12) Older clients embracing remote video technology -- (8:37) Healthcare company organizing special interest virtual hangouts for members -- (10:22) Easier to contact members now. Members call Rex to check on him -- (13:27) Boundaries between work and home more difficult -- (13:58) Coping strategies: TV, meditation, home workouts -- (17:25) Strong connection to Brooklyn, and neighbors -- (19:00) More volunteer opportunities during COVID -- (21:15) Hopes future will bring new perspective on inequities in healthcare.
NoteAudio interview conducted on May 18, 2020, by Julia DeAngelo. Collected for the Covid-19 Oral History Project through Our Streets, Our Stories, an oral history project of Brooklyn Public Library. This project is a partnership with Services for Older Adults and the Brooklyn Collection.
SubjectQuarantine ; COVID-19 (Disease) ; Epidemics; Coronaviruses ; Medical care ; Medical personnel
RightsThis work is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Users are free to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given to the source and new material created with this work is shared under the same conditions.
TitleOral history interview with Rex Belgarde conducted on 2020 May 18.