Seniors adapt to isolation in Canada amid pandemic
CARIBBEAN SENIORS in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada are heeding the daily warnings to stay home in an effort to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus which causes the deadly COVID-19 respiratory disease.
With warnings that seniors over the age of 65 – along with persons having compromised immune systems and some underlying medical conditions – are at an increased risk of more severe outcomes, many are finding things to do indoors.
Theresa Johnson, 70, lives alone and is a member of the Canadian Caribbean Seniors Club that meets at the Jamaican Canadian Association.
With the cancellation of gatherings, Johnson says members call to check up on each other regularly as they can no longer have their regular meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays for their devotion, singalongs, lectures, book club, making of craft items, playing dominoes and card games, and to get updates on members who are ill.
“Right now we just phone each other, but it’s not the same, of course. We look forward to getting there (the end of the outbreak) as soon as possible, which reality says might be a few months,” Johnson told The Gleaner.
She said that she is adhering to all the necessary guidelines to curb COVID-19 and wants to do “anything to get this over with”.
Johnson reasoned: “If everybody follows the directions, we all have a chance of coming out of this, because this is serious; however, we’re very anxious because of our age group also.”
Her grocery gets delivered to the lobby of her condominium, so she doesn’t have to go out to do shopping, and passes the time reading books and going through many binders, so she doesn’t have time for boredom.
EXTREMELY ANXIOUS
“I have lots of things that I needed to catch up with and this has given me the opportunity to do so, but I wish I didn’t have the opportunity to do so under these circumstances,” she said. “I shouldn’t be fearful, in that fear is not of God, number one; however, I am extremely anxious. I’m very anxious because it’s such an uncomfortable feeling. I just want this to be over and pray to come out of it alive.”
Meanwhile, Patricia Wade, 80, and Raymond Wade, 83, who have been married for 60 years and live in Markham, have a strong base of friends – all seniors – as their support network.
“We keep in touch mainly by the phone. We say the phone does our visiting, so we try and phone each other regularly, and we think especially of those who live alone,” said Patricia, who calls two or three people daily.
“We are not lonely. It’s a little constricting because we are very active and we miss going out,” she said, noting that she was startled by Toronto Mayor John Tory’s envisioning of 12 more weeks of lockdown.
Describing it as “a bit heavy to take,” Patricia said they have been in isolation for a month so far and have been coping reasonably well, yet they were hoping that the restrictions would be over by the end of April.
In the meantime, Patricia finds things to do inside the house and enjoys reading but misses the library, which was closed before she could get there to borrow a few books.
“Prayer is a strong part of our life and Christ is the centre of our life, so we spend time in prayer and meditation.”
Patricia and Raymond are recipients of the Jamaican Canadian Association’s meals initiative – and she has signed up two other families of seniors – for the prepared meals delivered to them on weekends.
The octogenarian said the pandemic is not affecting them negatively and they are blessed to have the assistance of their grandson and niece for grocery shopping.