The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 (and let’s be honest, probably 2021) has touched the lives of billions of people. The impact of the virus has been felt in nearly every industry and economy worldwide and has affected almost every demographic group imaginable. Of course, not one group of people is affected in the same way. The following will explore how one group, in particular, seniors, has been affected by COVID-19 and the things that you can do to help out the seniors in your family or your community.
Most Seniors Are Considered High-Risk For Coronavirus
Because of the nature of the virus, different demographics are affected in different ways. Those over the age of 65 are more likely to have difficulty recovering from the virus if they are to come in contact with it. Because of this, one of the most important things we can all do to assist seniors during these chaotic times is help reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
This includes hand washing, wearing masks, reducing unnecessary travel, and maintaining a safe social distance. In particular, if you are delivering goods or services to seniors, you need to make sure you are doing everything humanly possible to prevent the spread of the virus. You can pass it along even if you don’t feel any symptoms at all.
Get Creative With Social Interaction
Despite the importance of minimizing the risk of coronavirus spreading to seniors, humans are still packed animals that need social interaction to be healthy and happy. Isolation is extremely unhealthy for humans and results in a decreased life expectancy as well as an increase in other chronic diseases. Loneliness is now being considered as dangerous as smoking fifteen cigarettes per day for your health.
There are as many ways to combat loneliness as there are relationships in the world. More info is becoming available daily about the effects of lockdown policies and social distancing on senior communities. Creative solutions to social interaction are desperately needed. This might mean having lengthy phone conversations with the seniors in your community. This might mean figuring out how to video chat with the seniors in your life. This might mean filming the kids’ school play and emailing the file to the children’s grandparents so they can feel like part of what is going on.
This is also an excellent time for the seniors in your life to look into getting a pet if this is something they were considering. While a dog or cat doesn’t replace human interaction, it has been shown that pets do reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation in their owners.
Make Sure Their Needs Are Met
Shopping for daily necessities can be frightening for someone at high-risk of negative COVID outcomes right now. Offering to pick up supplies like groceries, medications, and hygiene products (with a mask on and clean hands of course) and drop them off on someone’s front porch could reduce a lot of anxiety that people are feeling right now. Delivery services might be right for some seniors, but due to the costs, many are struggling to afford these sorts of services. Make sure to ask the seniors in their lives if they need anything picked up.
Pay Special Attention To The Holidays
The holidays can already be difficult for people. If you’ve lost someone you love at any point in your life, the holidays are when you tend to feel the wounds the strongest. Being alone on the holidays also can be more upsetting than being alone on regular days.
It might take a lot of brainstorming and a lot of planning to make sure that the seniors in your life are having a fulfilling holiday season. It might take weeks to get a tablet sent to them and set up over the phone with them ready for video calls.
You might want to purchase and wrap gifts well ahead of time so the gifts can sit untouched in their state of “quarantine” for a reasonable amount of time before they’re opened. The postal service in nearly every country is struggling to keep up with the number of deliveries needed meaning it might take a while for mailed presents to arrive. Whatever you need to do to make the holidays that the seniors in your life celebrate special, get on it well ahead of time.
With the above tips kept in mind, you are well on your way to helping the seniors in your community through these trying times. Of course, nothing replaces good and honest communication. Ask seniors what they’re struggling with. Ask what you can do to help them out. Genuinely listen to the answers, even if they were not what you were expecting.