Pinoy care worker who died of COVID-19 in UK worked too hard, says wife

Joven Flores, a head chef at a nursing and home care in the United Kingdom, did what he loved before dying of the viral COVID-19: Bring smiles to residents by baking cakes and preparing meals for them.

This was how Flores' wife, Aurora narrated his dedication to his job. Flores worked there for 18 years. He was paid £11.50 an hour and  worked in overtime shifts and on weekends.

"The salary was very low.. But my husband loved his job, and he was dedicated,” 64-year-old Aurora said according to an article

Flores' wife said all he did was to be a dedicated cook at his work and even in his days off, he would cook meals for his family. He would only rest on the sofa, sleep and watch television during breaks.

Aurora would describe her husband feeling body pain by standing up all day and providing meals for residents at Magna Care Centre. She said Flores would look older than his current age because he would always be overworked and could barely talk.

After years of hard work, Flores was able to provide livelihood for his family and fund the education of his three kids. Flores' children are Jethro, 30, a nurse; Jerrold, an accountant and Jericho, 22, who has "special needs" but is being taken care of at a living facility near their home.

But at 59, Flores was not able to see his mother in the Philippines, one last time after he succumbed to the disease on Feb. 6 this year.

How the Flores couple got their jobs

Before landing a job in the UK, the couple, who has been married for 32 years, worked as a chef and a nurse in Kuwait, where they also lived.

Aurora said they were juggling work for six days a week, 12 hours a day for over 18 years at Kuwait. With this sacrifice, they were able to pay for their children's education, who were staying with Flores mother, Mely, in the Philippines.

In 2001, Aurora was able to find a better opportunity in the UK, where she worked as a nurse as well. It was not difficult for her because the UK government in the 1990s was looking to increase health resources and address its shortage of nurses. England chose the Philippines as one of its top sources of nurses.  

After Aurora, Flores also got the home care job in the UK, where they both found greener pastures.

“It was cold and green... That’s what I liked. In Kuwait, it was never green. It was sandstorms. Full of dust," Aurora said.

Last days with Flores

Before Flores, his wife also got COVID-19 at her work, caring for patients with dementia. Aurora said one of her infected patients, who also has dementia, refused to self-isolate.

“She kept walking and walking … we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t avoid her. That’s how I became positive,” Aurora pointed out.

Two days after Aurora contracted the illness, Flores also tested positive which forced him to stay home. Their eldest son, Jethro took care of them while under isolation.

But on January 5, Flores' oxygen saturation levels dropped dramatically, which led him to get immediate care at a hospital. Flores then stayed at the Intensive Care Unit, where he had his last days watching a Liverpool vs. Manchester United game with his son, Jethro.

Flores was then sedated and was placed under a ventilator the following day.

Aurora said she was used to people dying at nursing homes, but it was "different" witnessing the last moments of her husband.

“We thought we could spend more time as a family together when we were retired,” Aurora says. “But this is gone,” said Aurora.

Jethro also stepped up after his father's death but could not help but feel sad, especially when he works at the hospital where his father passed away.

The spokesperson of Magna Care Centre told The Guardian that they will give further counseling and support after Flores' death, who had a lot of colleagues there at the home care.

Records from the UK's Office for National Statistics showed that a total of 24,919 residents in home care died of COVID-19. This data was registered from April 10, 2020 until January 29, 2021. 

But the article stated that there were no records of death rate reported among workers in nursing and home care.—Consuelo Marquez/LDF, GMA News