The Effect of Lockdown on the Elderly
Imagine an elderly couple. They’ve been married sixty-odd years, they live in a bungalow, where they've lived forever. Their day consists of reading the paper, putting the rubbish out, taking their medicine and waiting to hear their loved ones pull into the driveway. But suddenly on the 16th of March, one of those things slipped away.
They realise they won’t be able to see their loved ones anymore. Now, their days will just consist of reading the paper, putting the rubbish out and taking their medicine. No one will pull into the drive anymore.
The months go on. It's hard, but it's bearable. The weather is nice, and they can sit outside, their neighbours and their family wave to them from the gate on their daily walk. Eventually, restrictions ease and they are allowed out again. They tentatively travel, come out of their hibernation and spend the summer making occasional socially distanced trips to their families house.
And then on the spookiest of Halloweens, another lockdown gets announced. It feels a lot darker this time though. The mornings are darker, the days are darker, the evenings are darker. The weather is a perfect pathetic fallacy. They can’t sit outside now, the soundtrack to everyday is the rain on the windows. They can’t walk to the park and meet a friend like the younger generation. They live for the phone call, to hear about a different type of lockdown happening only a few streets away.
The month of captivity finally ends, and the rules change once again. Their town is in tier two, so in theory, they can meet six friends outside. However, in reality, they can’t make the journey down to the park or sit on chairs in their gardens. The rules don’t quite fit with what they can manage. It must be considered that the tiered regulations are not appropriate for everyone, as important as the rules are to keep us safe, surely the wellbeing of the elderly must be considered?
How is it that in tier 2, you can attend a performance at the theatre (which is amazing and I'm so happy that theatres are finally allowed to open)? Yet, this couple can't visit their family for fish and chips inside, out of the cold in a room where they can easily maintain social distance and ventilation.
I spoke to 91 year old Bill, who told me how in the first lockdown he 'would always walk down the road and speak to his neighbours from 2 meters away'. He said he still tried to do it now, but it's not as appealing because of the weather. He said that the restrictions are burdensome for him because he can no longer drive. So he can't, for example, drive the short distance to the beach for a change of scenery like other people can. He also expressed that all he wants to do is take a trip to Sainsbury's.
Furthermore, his wife told me that, although the whole thing hasn't affected her too much, it been hard during the bad weather. No longer able to sit in the garden to socialise with people, she thinks it would be easier for them if they could drive as they wouldn't have to rely so heavily on their kind neighbours and family.
As I was writing this piece, a new announcement was made—4 pm on the Saturday before Christmas. Now, the Christmas that so many people had dangled before their noses has been snatched away. Luckily, the elderly couple featured within this article live in a tier 2 area, so they can come and be with their families on Christmas day. However, they were finally allowed to leave their house on Wednesday, and now they’ve had this snatched away. They only get one precious day to be released from their captivity. We watched, as the familiar faces of this pandemic walked up to their podiums and did what no politician wanted to do, cancelled Christmas for millions. Laura Kuenssberg flickers on to the screen and says how just a week ago the same people stood before us and said ‘it would be inhumane to change the plans’ and in response, they say ‘if you have packed a bag, unpack it.’
If any elderly people are reading this, or anyone with an elderly person in their life, The Mental Health Foundation has published a page of mental health advice for elderly people. Advice includes listening to music to remember happier times, establishing a good new routine, trying some light exercise, keeping up your movement and to think about limiting your daily intake of the news. Whilst it is important to be informed, it can be terrifying and stressful to continually hear about new developments with the virus. Maybe put down your phone this Christmas, stop your doomscrolling and turn off the news. For example, when I spoke to Bill, he explained how he, especially now that the weather is constantly dreary, has taken up doodling and colouring, helping him stay calm and keep his mind busy.
I want to urge the importance of following government guidelines and keeping each other safe. I’m not suggesting you put anyone at risk or break any rules. However, as the popular slogan says, we mustn't kill Granny. Also, we mustn't let another pandemic spread in our attempt to do this. We can’t let the elderly live a dismal life where they can only leave the house to attend a hospital appointment. I don’t have the answer to this particular pandemic problem, but what I do know is that it is as important to keep an eye on your elderly relatives and neighbours and that it is time to remember, that they too are deeply mentally affected from this pandemic.
Written by Heather Nicholls
My name is Heather and I’m currently a second year Criminology Student! I’ve recently been getting into journalism because I am really interested and passionate about politics, telling people's stories and other current affairs. I also love making youtube videos, reading, baking and playing the flute.