Sylvia Goldsholl at her 108th birthday party last December at the nursing home in New Jersey where she lives.Credit...Mitsu Yasukawa/Northjersey.com
Last month, relatives of Sylvia Goldsholl received troubling news from her New Jersey nursing home: She had contracted the coronavirus and was in isolation.
With the virus proving especially deadly for older people, the prognosis seemed dire for Ms. Goldsholl, who turned 108 in December.
"This is killing people in nursing homes all over New Jersey and the country," said Nancy Chazen, a niece of Ms. Goldsholl. "Quite honestly, I thought that was going to be the end — I mean, she's 108."
Two weeks later, relatives received another call.
"They told us, 'She's fully recovered,'" said Ms. Chazen, whose aunt has become one of the oldest Covid-19 survivors in the world.
Ms. Goldsholl's case is a rare bright spot in New Jersey, whose current death toll from the virus — 9,946 through Thursday — is second only to New York State's.
Roughly half of the deaths in New Jersey — 5,168 through Thursday — have come at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Nationwide, roughly one-third of the 86,607 coronavirus deaths have been nursing home patients or workers.
Long-term care facilities have become hot spots, filled with a vulnerable population and requiring close interactions between residents and caretakers, many of whom have complained that they had not received enough protective equipment.
Ms. Goldsholl, who lives in the Allendale Community for Senior Living in Allendale, N.J., was born on Dec. 29, 1911, and grew up in the Bronx, the eldest of four children of Russian immigrant parents.
As a child she lived through the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and 1919, and she also lived through two world wars and the Great Depression.
Last month, relatives of Sylvia Goldsholl received troubling news from her New Jersey nursing home: She had contracted the coronavirus and was in isolation.
With the virus proving especially deadly for older people, the prognosis seemed dire for Ms. Goldsholl, who turned 108 in December.
"This is killing people in nursing homes all over New Jersey and the country," said Nancy Chazen, a niece of Ms. Goldsholl. "Quite honestly, I thought that was going to be the end — I mean, she's 108."
Two weeks later, relatives received another call.
"They told us, 'She's fully recovered,'" said Ms. Chazen, whose aunt has become one of the oldest Covid-19 survivors in the world.
Ms. Goldsholl's case is a rare bright spot in New Jersey, whose current death toll from the virus — 9,946 through Thursday — is second only to New York State's.
Roughly half of the deaths in New Jersey — 5,168 through Thursday — have come at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Nationwide, roughly one-third of the 86,607 coronavirus deaths have been nursing home patients or workers.
Long-term care facilities have become hot spots, filled with a vulnerable population and requiring close interactions between residents and caretakers, many of whom have complained that they had not received enough protective equipment.
Ms. Goldsholl, who lives in the Allendale Community for Senior Living in Allendale, N.J., was born on Dec. 29, 1911, and grew up in the Bronx, the eldest of four children of Russian immigrant parents.
As a child she lived through the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and 1919, and she also lived through two world wars and the Great Depression.
Ms. Goldsholl worked as a bookkeeper and never married or had children, her relatives said. She lived in her childhood home until moving to New Jersey 20 years ago and finally moved into the center in Allendale 13 years ago.
Officials at the home described her as an inquisitive person who likes smart conversation and who is known as "Big Sister" for her outspokenness and her advocacy for fellow residents.
She uses a wheelchair and has lost some vision and hearing in recent years, relatives said, but she remains active and social, whether playing bingo or holding court in the center's dining room.
"You'll never find her sitting alone in her room — she's always with people," Ms. Chazen said, adding that her aunt has always stuck up for others.
"She has always had a reputation for speaking up," Ms. Chazen said. "If she thinks something is unfair, she'll make sure people know."
"If she wants to mail a letter to the mayor of New York City, she'll mail the letter," she said.
"I don't know her secret to longevity," her nephew said, "but she's very feisty."
Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, May 15, 2020
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May 16, 2020
Voices4America Post Script. A bit of news that makes you smile. Sylvia Goldscholl survived it all- Flu of 1918, 2 World Wars, the Depression, and now Covid-19. Pass it on. With more than 85,000 dead from the virus, we need something to cheer us on, and it's the weekend too. 💪👏
