The elders - a megathread

Corca Baiscinn

Claw Hammer wrote: »

If you are over 70 you are not supposed to be out driving at all!

Not sure re past few days but as far as I can recall the ads re special shopping hours for older people carried on for first few days of the #stayhome advice to over 70's so may have caused confusion. Also a lot of the publicity is online tho' the radio ad is running frequently. I actually think that only a personal individual approach will work, where the post-office lady or newsagent or pharmacist" says to Jack or Mary, Do u know u're supposed be staying at home, this virus is very dangerous? "and suggests who they could phone, preferably by name. I imagine a lot of people are hesitating re ringing an unknown helpline number to ask for help.

Harry Palmr

ShineOn7 wrote: »

You can't - as far as I'm aware - have multiple people on screen at the same time with either WhatsApp or Viber

Up to four screens in WhatsApp.

Little rossie

My sister who is over 70 is still driving, she thinks this is ok. But I saw a piece in the Dailymail during the week that your motor insurance could be at risk if you had an accident while driving. Maybe I picked it up wrong, but if this is true people should be informed.

Claw Hammer

Little rossie wrote: »

My sister who is over 70 is still driving, she thinks this is ok. But I saw a piece in the Dailymail during the week that your motor insurance could be at risk if you had an accident while driving. Maybe I picked it up wrong, but if this is true people should be informed.

If she is driving, presumably it is on the public road. She shouldn't be out at all, let alone driving. If she was in India, she would be beaten back into a house with a stick by the police.

Claw Hammer

I see some gob****e in the paper is now complaining about the lockdown and encouraging defiance.

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/defiance-is-only-natural-as-arbitrary-diktat-unfair-to-many-healthy-over-70s-39102055.html

Does he not get it?

BrianD3

Has anyone mentioned the adverse effects of this "cocooning" in terms of lack of social contact in elderly people with no cognitive issues, mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Social isolation has long been recognised as something that can cause decline. I have seen this with my own mother, even before Covid-19 she had lack of social contact because friends have died, moved away, have dementia themselves or seem to be avoiding her. Now with this cocooning, things are worse again.

Then you have posters with no critical thinking skills swallowing whatever the authorities tell them and complaining on internet forums about "silly old people not staying at home".

In general, I detect a lot of ignorance and contradictions in both these discussions and the pronouncements from government. The situation with home care in this country has been appalling for a long time. Now, when it suits, the elderly are being told to "cocoon" at home, to protect themselves and others. See the state does care after all :rolleyes: Well, home care is still a shambles, Actually it's worse now in this crisis as home carers are being redeployed to nursing homes. Those same nursing homes that have big issues with Covid and have people in them who may not have needed to go into an nursing home or gotten sick with Covid had they been living at home with some help.

Jurgen Klopp

Brian, another poster who's wife is a home help posted this. I'm not one bit surprised to be honest.

Heighway61 wrote: »

One of my wife's clients has tested positive. My wife has been told she won't be tested unless she is showing symptoms and to keep working. Same for home helps who have had contact with this person.

They don't know what they are doing. We're screwed.

Claw Hammer

BrianD3 wrote: »

Has anyone mentioned the adverse effects of this "cocooning" in terms of lack of social contact in elderly people with no cognitive issues, mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Social isolation has long been recognised as something that can cause decline. I have seen this with my own mother, even before Covid-19 she had lack of social contact because friends have died, moved away, have dementia themselves or seem to be avoiding her. Now with this cocooning, things are worse again.

Then you have posters with no critical thinking skills swallowing whatever the authorities tell them and complaining on internet forums about "silly old people not staying at home".

In general, I detect a lot of ignorance and contradictions in both these discussions and the pronouncements from government. The situation with home care in this country has been appalling for a long time. Now, when it suits, the elderly are being told to "cocoon" at home, to protect themselves and others. See the state does care after all :rolleyes: Well, home care is still a shambles, Actually it's worse now in this crisis as home carers are being redeployed to nursing homes. Those same nursing homes that have big issues with Covid and have people in them who may not have needed to go into an nursing home or gotten sick with Covid had they been living at home with some help.

There is no doubt that this crisis is bringing a lot of the muddled approach to health in general and the elderly in particular to the fore. There's no panic and scrambling by the authorities left right and centre.

That being said the advice for over 70s to cocoon is sensible. Only if it goes on for a very long time will the socialisation issue become relevant if it's a choice of avoiding social con tact for a short period or spreading a disease which could be fatal, if not that particular person, to others then cocooning wins hands down.
People are asked to simply take simple precautions for the overall benefit of society. Some people, as usual want to be the exception to every rule.

Fogmatic

Claw Hammer wrote: »

I see some gob****e in the paper is now complaining about the lockdown and encouraging defiance.

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/defiance-is-only-natural-as-arbitrary-diktat-unfair-to-many-healthy-over-70s-39102055.html

Does he not get it?

Apparently not. I'm in my 70s, and agreed with his point that older people haven't had it easy. And was 100 % with him on our not all being the same. But he then proves it with his low opinion of young people (all the same of course!), and by thinking we should flout the rules.

I'd be interested to know how he'd manage this fast-moving crisis without causing any difficulties for anyone, using understandable (and enforceable if necessary) directives and already overstretched resources. (And think the government would be very interested!).

piskins72

My post is slightly different, have a ederly family member that lives locally, had home help but he decided to stop this last week, the area manager tried to convince him to keep it to one day a week but as far as I am aware he has stopped this also. A neighbor has taken it upon himself to be "the good neighbor" and do his shopping and check on him, all good you might say that he got some one to look out for him but same person has own ederly parent that they visit every day, just wondering what people think? Person won't listen to me saying it's wrong

Gloomtastic!

piskins72 wrote: »

My post is slightly different, have a ederly family member that lives locally, had home help but he decided to stop this last week, the area manager tried to convince him to keep it to one day a week but as far as I am aware he has stopped this also. A neighbor has taken it upon himself to be "the good neighbor" and do his shopping and check on him, all good you might say that he got some one to look out for him but same person has own ederly parent that they visit every day, just wondering what people think? Person won't listen to me saying it's wrong

Leave the food on the doorstep?

Fogmatic

Not sure which person is saying it's wrong?

Thestones

My dad is 77, he has been staying at home last two weeks or so, I bring food and leave on doorstep, we chat in the driveway from a safe distance, he enjoys these chats, it’s definitely starting to get to him being stuck at home. I went to pick up his prescription the other day and pharmacy said it had already been collected earlier that day, turns out he went himself as he was cracking up, he also admitted he went to the local centra for a newspaper and a walk twice now. He feels me going to supermarket takes the risk out for him so he reckons he’s ok to do an odd walk etc. 🙄

piskins72

Fogmatic wrote: »

Not sure which person is saying it's wrong?

The neighbor that's calling has own elderly parent. It's this person who won't listen that it's wrong to be calling to other person and going into actual house, not leaving shopping at door etc.

the_syco

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/hundreds-set-to-lose-home-help-supports-from-wednesday-992483.html
Looks like Home Help will be getting cut. I'm assuming it's because if the Home Help person got it off anyone, they'd end up wiping out a fair few elderly. TBH, that's not something I'd put on anyones shoulders!

When my granddad was alive, he had home help; helped him feel somewhat independent, as he wasn't depending on his children directly.

It's not the lack of home help that frightens me; it's that some of the elderly will suddenly have the only support they have cut off, and they may not be able to turn to anyone

freshpopcorn

Thestones wrote: »

My dad is 77, he has been staying at home last two weeks or so, I bring food and leave on doorstep, we chat in the driveway from a safe distance, he enjoys these chats, it’s definitely starting to get to him being stuck at home. I went to pick up his prescription the other day and pharmacy said it had already been collected earlier that day, turns out he went himself as he was cracking up, he also admitted he went to the local centra for a newspaper and a walk twice now. He feels me going to supermarket takes the risk out for him so he reckons he’s ok to do an odd walk etc. ��

If it's any help to you. Your not the only person in this position. They are lots of people who think there parents are inside all the time and they are popping out for a short while.

Fogmatic

Piskins72; your father's neighbour sounds a good type - does he realise that anyone could unwittingly carry the virus from any person they visit to another (and so on to other contacts), however well they're all feeling? (For instance, I read in a genuine-looking source somewhere that it can survive between hosts for several days on shoes).

And are all the parties aware of the latest public health measures (link below)? And If anyone's over 70 (or particularly medically vulnerable) of the cocooning measures? (Link under 'Stay at home' and including advice for visitors).

What's your father's stance on the measures? If he sees the sense of them, has he tried to persuade the neighbour? And if not, maybe it's the thought of hurting his feelings that stops him? There might be ways round that, like mentioning a fear of unknowingly passing the virus to the neighbour and hence to his father (neighbour's imagination should then take care of the scenario in the other direction). Or one of the wheezes I read about in the early pages of this thread (like leaving hints around such as articles, vector diagrams etc).

I've only read a fraction of this thread(s), but if your father isn't convinced either, I'm sure I remember ideas in it somewhere re getting the message across more remotely. Maybe a search on the scenario would find some ideas (if results aren't relevant, I find changing the setting to Latest First often helps re this virus).

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/cf9b0d-new-public-health-measures-effective-now-to-prevent-further-spread-o/?referrer=/en/publication/539d23-stay-at-home-the-latest-public-health-measures-to-prevent-the-spread/

sporina

a lot of my mates have elderly parents who are cocooning - but a few of my mates are staying over with them at intervals - I think that they think its ok as they themselves are working from home and only going to supermarkets etc..

whats right/wrong? personally I don't think that they should be visiting them - maybe drop off items at the door - have a chat via the same..

struggling to keep my mouth shut

PS their folks are independent otherwise

sporina

sporina wrote: »

a lot of my mates have elderly parents who are cocooning - but a few of my mates are staying over with them at intervals - I think that they think its ok as they themselves are working from home and only going to supermarkets etc..

whats right/wrong? personally I don't think that they should be visiting them - maybe drop off items at the door - have a chat via the same..

struggling to keep my mouth shut

PS their folks are independent otherwise

the hint is in the name- that's why it was chosen

cocoon noun (PROTECTED PLACE)


[ C usually singular ]
a safe, quiet place:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cocoon

Beasty

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