We wanted to know whether the situation in the nursing homes is really how politics and the media want to sell us, and we asked an ex-geriatric nurse from Linz. Harald Zoll has been working in the care of the elderly for twenty years and was dismissed without notice after visiting a demo, together with two colleagues, because free opinion is currently not desired.
For the geriatric nurse Harald Zoll, geriatric care is not just a simple job, he has found his calling in care. For a total of more than twenty years he cared for his home residents with great devotion until he was recently given notice without notice. Resigned for publicly speaking at a rally. It is not easy for anyone wanting to express their opinion right now. The geriatric nurse is certain: An example should be set with his immediate discharge. However, how one can simply fire numerous employees overnight in the face of the massive shortage of nursing staff is a mystery to him. Despite the consequences of getting up, Zoll does not regret his decision. It is high time to show yourself as an employee of the elderly instead of watching in silence. What is happening now is unsustainable for the geriatric nurse and many of his professional colleagues. And what the media report has nothing to do with what the employees actually experience every day in the care facilities.
“There was no mass death and no severe disease in our facility.”
At the beginning – as Zoll reports – when nobody knew what Corona was, of course everyone was worried. After the virus was not what the population was told, it made the carer think. What the government announced was simply not true. When the virus arrived in the homes, there were of course positive residents, with fever and loss of appetite. And people – even when they are over 90 – have recovered. There was no mass extinction or severe disease. In some houses there was more, but there was no mass death there either. Most of them recovered. Hygiene concepts that were suitable for the hospital were difficult to implement in the old people’s homes. The real problems in the Corona period were not attributable to the virus, but to the measuresthat hit the residents of the facilities particularly hard. In an interview, the geriatric nurse told us about one of many tragic fates: An old man who had visited his wife every day was no longer allowed to do so at some point because the home was locked. The woman passed away and the man couldn’t even say goodbye to her. Not an isolated case. Harald Zoll often experienced such situations.
Noticeably many strokes and pulmonary embolisms after the vaccinations
We also had a detailed interview with the carer about the corona vaccination. The first vaccinations started in January 2021 on his ward he observed a noticeable number of strokes and pulmonary embolisms. Even if more people died from such abnormalities in the homes, relatives often did not want to see any connection to the vaccinations. Questions were simply not asked. He himself does not want to be vaccinated. And customs also provide for the health system in case of compulsory vaccination black. Many carers would then leave their jobs. For the geriatric nurse, it is not only necessary to improve the personnel structure in nursing. Above all, he would like the nursing staff to receive more mental support, because the job is often tough, with all the personal fates, life crises and deaths that you experience there every day. Harald Zoll would make his step public again at any time. Because the red line has been crossed and he wants to encourage his colleagues to get up:
Getting up is important, even if it is difficult to stand in public and you have to bear the consequences afterwards. There are very many among us who do not want to be vaccinated and who have concerns. But what do we have to lose? When vaccination becomes mandatory, a lot will change for all of us.
Harald Zoll, geriatric nurse
The geriatric nurse continues to set a good example and shows critical thinking and attitude. Because even if the employees of the health professions are not yet aware: This professional group could really make a difference by getting up.
