“How can I calm my mother before her surgery?”

Well, this is a 2-part question. If she is worrying about the covid 19 issue, most places are testing all patients prior to surgery, staff are rigorously screened, and meticulous clean down procedures are followed. I actually feel safer taking care of covid patients with the multiple layers of protection we have compared to the supermarket where people are shopping with no masks and are walking down the aisle coughing! Risk is very, very low.

If it is some other issue, then the best treatment is her doctor/surgeon. Fear of the unknown can be the worst kind. With some dialogue, this both eases worry and builds trust in the operating staff. Nearly always when a patient had anxiety and I sat down and went over everything, it helped a good bit. It's important to be honest and not sugar coat things, as you will lose credibility and then the thought process mentally will go along "that it is so bad that they won't tell me the truth." Hope this helps. Just remember no physician ever wants to do harm and that always weighs heavily on us when we make a recommendation.