COVID-19 ISOLATION AND HOW TO PREVENT BEING BORED AT HOME…

So this weekend our adult children decided we need to self isolate even before the government made it a requirement for the over 70’s. They felt that because there Dad is 79 years young, that he must be in the high risk category. As for me, although 13 years his junior they feel that due to all the drugs I am on that this alone must mean I have a slightly lower immune system. And now the PM has suggested the over 70’s isolate as best we can anyway.

My daughter had an appointment at her heart consultant this morning ( she has a heart condition) which I insisted she still went to which meant I would drive over to her and look after my 7 month old granddaughter while she went to the hospital. I’d only been there for about an hour and she had already texted about three times to remind me to keep washing my hands and to do the 10 second breath test.

After Boris Johnson said “people in the UK should avoid “non-essential” travel and contact with others to curb coronavirus and people over the age of 70 and those with certain health conditions should consider the advice “particularly important”. We knew contact with our family should really be when we are out for a walk and not personal contact anymore which really did pull at my heart strings, but health has to come first.

We are so lucky to have this sort of love and care from our children but it does make you wonder how other isolated loved ones will cope. A GP that had just recovered from COVID 19 was being interviewed by Pierce this morning and I had to totally agree that Pierce was making us all feel terrified about the worst possible outcome and implying that the government has done nothing. This is such a new horror which we are all getting anxious about but in particular the elderly. I could not have agreed with the GP more when she basically said that Pierce has no idea what’s really being done to prevent further deaths of the COVID 19.

 

I have decided I want us to get fit not fat during this what could be a long isolation period so we are going to walk every day no matter what the weather to get some fresh air in our lungs which they have said you can do in open spaces. We are lucky enough to have The South Downs on our doorstep but I’m sure people in the City will find this hard to do. Maybe they will come up with some idea on how City people could get outside into an open space as well.

We all need to think of the elderly in this crisis and even if we cannot go and visit them at least have regular contact with them on the phone. I also think that little care parcels would not go amiss, maybe send a magazine or book to a loved one and put in their favourite chocolate or bath salts or even a jigsaw so they know they are being thought about. It might just cheer them up if we do have to isolate for a long time. I sat yesterday and made a few hand made cards ( thinking of you and hi etc) to send to my friends who are of a similar age group, just to cheer them up. 

My head is busy thinking of other ways to help keep our peckers up and I thought it would be nice if we could find an online course, maybe a language course, that hubby and I could do together and at least get something good out of a negative. Of course I love my Words With Friends as I love Scrabble but my daughter doesn’t so I’m looking for another game we could play opposite each other online. 

If you have any ideas to break the boredom which could easily set in for the over 70’s group then please pop it in my comments as the more the merrier.