Virus is dangerous but the effects of isolation can’t be ignored either...
COUPLE IN THEIR 70S HAVE NOT BEEN OUT SINCE MARCH
FOR people in the city, life has not been free of some form of coronavirus restrictions since March 23, when the national lockdown was introduced.
But for some, their own lockdowns began before then.
Judith McGlennon, a Markfield grandmother who has multiple sclerosis (MS) and lives with her husband Peter, has not left her home since March 10.
She said: “We’re both over 70, so decided to self-isolate because we both have conditions that aren’t necessarily life-threatening but are life-changing and we didn’t know what was to come.
“No-one knew what might happen, what the virus was, what it might do if either of us caught it, so we took the decision to play it safe and stay at home.
“We weren’t on the government list of people that should, but we just thought it was the right thing to do.”
Since that last trip to the shops, Judith, a former medical secretary, has only been out once, and that was when she was admitted to hospital in June with a non-coronavirusrelated illness.
“I haven’t been anywhere but to hospital since March 10 and even that was isolating because I couldn’t have any visitors.
“The whole experience has been incredibly isolating.
“We’ve seen our son and his wife, who live in Cambridge, once, through the window for a short time.
“We’ve seen our other son and two grandchildren briefly at a distance when there have been birthdays, but we’ve not seen them or anyone else properly since before all of this started and it’s very difficult.
“There have been times that we have been out in the car just to get out but even that isn’t what we’ve needed.”
Having suffered with MS for 30 years, Judith’s mobility has now reached a point where she has to be hoisted into and out of her wheelchair.
With Peter as her main carer, before lockdown Judith was managing to get out and spend time with others, something she says she has sorely missed during the local lockdown in particular.
“We had friends we would see regularly before this and we haven’t seen them”, she said. “I went to
a support group where I would have coffee and a chat with other people who have MS at Ulverscroft Manor.
“None of that has been able to carry on and we’ve really missed it.
“We have managed to use video calls to stay in touch with people but it’s not the same, nowhere near.
“That face-to-face contact with people makes such a difference, meeting for a coffee, the really simple things.
“What’s upsetting is I know there will be people who are more isolated than we are.
“We have each other and carers come in and we have managed to stay in touch with others. There are some people who have it much worse.
“We can’t have people to visit, we can’t go and visit people, it’s been a real challenge.”
Hoping for a return to some kind of normal soon, Judith is worried about the impact on other areas of people’s lives.
“Somewhere in among all this we have to think about people and their lives, the other side of all of this. The risks aren’t just about coronavirus now.
“We know this virus is very dangerous and contagious but the effects of being isolated can’t be ignored either.
“I hope that soon we can find a way to cope with it all.”
We have managed to use video calls to stay in touch with people but it’s not the same
Judith McGlennon