Day Six

[azdak]

Yesterday was a very worrying day. My mother, who is 78 and lives alone in London, rang me up and said "I've realised I'm going to die!" She had been to Tesco's, where she had been exposed to a heaving mass of potential virus vectors, but had been unable to buy anything because it was all sold out. "I'm down to my last potato

Comments

[bluemeanybeany]

I'm in London and the area have set up via whatsapp "grids" to try to make sure none of the older people slip through the net in terms not getting food. Our group seems to be functioning well.

I don't know where your mother is, but there seems to be a Twickenham group, https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/18322673.600-sign-richmond-twickenhams-covid19-mutual-aid-group/

I know it's difficult getting older people to do these thing. The other half's grandfather went to ASDA, and all the other shoppers parted, gave him first priority and let him go ahead in the queue to the tills and he was like "But I'm not old" He's 85.

[bluemeanybeany]

Also the 80 year old grandparents still wanted to go to their dance group, and were very insistent about it no matter which younger relatives tried to talk them out of it. However fortunately the dance group itself cancelled. Older people are set in their ways aren't they and need more time to adapt to the change I think possibly. They are starting to listen to the family now somewhat.

[azdak]

Yes, I think a lot of them understandably feel that they don't have much time left and would rather prioritise quality over quantity without realising that this impacts on people who don't share that view. And I don't know that anyone has said to them brutally "If you get ill, you will clog up the ICUs and contribute to breaking the health care system." I have far more sympathy for old people who haven't grasped the enormity of what we're facing than I have for my sister's NHS trust, who yesterday told their staff (in defiance of the WHO advice) that they only needed masks f they were working in the ICU itself.

[azdak]

Thank you for the suggestion! My mother actually ran into someone today (so much for self-isolation) who was distributing info about the local What's App group and she's going to join, so I hope that will also make her feel less lonely as well as providing a safety net.