Bruce Carmona, Resident

Bruce Carmona is from Dallas, Texas and resides in a nursing home in Illinois. He enjoys staying active and is a strong advocate for nursing home reform. Click the black squares below to hear and read about Bruce’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded interview (edited for clarity) is available at the bottom of the page.

In 2019, I put 1,200 miles in my wheelchair going to concerts, movie theaters, and hanging out with my brothers, going to the gym…I was uh, actually got back in the gym three days a week in 2019, and then 2020 that all crashed when COVID came. I haven’t been to the gym since.

Basically, we don’t do hardly any activities anymore. We used to do exercise classes together but we don’t do that hardly anymore. Obligated to basically now, we just sit outside for half an hour a day if it’s not raining or too cold. That’s it.

We’re still locked down even like 450 days after the pandemic started. We’re still locked down and no one is going anywhere except for medical appointments.

I can’t do anything. I’m trapped, I’m locked down. And so I feel like I’m in prison. Everybody says that, but it’s true.

I’m an advocate for nursing home reform, because I think it’s needed. They get away with too much in nursing homes trying to control your life, and there’s no repercussions at all.

Click below for the expanded interview (12:05).