Seniors ‘not panicking’ after being told to stay home and shun visitors
Nelly Bravo, 69 and her husband Pedro Donoso, 75, said as members of the age group most at risk to be severely affected by the new coronavirus, they were already limiting their time out of the house.
“But we have to eat, too,” said Bravo, who was walking on Grand Blvd. in Notre-dame-de-grâce and clutching a white plastic shopping bag from nearby Marché Ahkavan supermarket.
“We’re not panicking, but we are staying safe.”
The couple was reacting to news on Saturday that Quebec Premier François Legault recommended anyone 70 years or older should stay home in order to avoid being infected by the virus.
The recommendation came as the province also banned visits in hospitals, long-term care centres and seniors’ residences.
Bravo and Donoso thought Legault’s order was a good idea, but they worry about seniors who rely on visitors to get what they need to survive in their homes.
“We have to organize for senior citizens to make sure they have what they need,” Bravo said. “Our neighbour is 95 years old. Who will bring her food?”
Dorval resident Tanya Gitto echoed that concern.
“Is there any plan by the government or local municipalities to check on seniors who may be at home with no support? I remember during the great ice storm in Quebec (in 1998), the local police in Dorval were going door to door of the homes of seniors to make sure they were okay and had support,” she wrote in an email.
“I am almost 74, but I have support system in place. I worry about seniors who are alone.”
Bruce Prentice, another N.D.G. resident, said he believes the new measures announced Saturday could be an “exaggeration.”
“If you’re in frail health, it’s probably a very good idea,” said Prentice, 83, holding a leash attached to a medium-sized golden-haired mixed breed named Millie.
“I don’t think I am, so here I am walking my dog.”
Prentice said he believes all the measure taken so far seem sensible, and he hopes they will prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed.
“The load on the health-care system could peak if we don’t take precautions,” he said, adding that he isn’t concerned that he will contract the virus.
“I volunteer (in the Palliative Care unit of St-mary’s Hospital), so I’m used to washing my hands and I do it a lot. I try to keep my distance from illness, take my vitamins and try to get a good night’s sleep. We try to do what we can to keep healthy and that includes walking the dog.”
Also in the area, Anne Jasmin, 78, said she was relieved to hear that nursing homes were barring visitors, but said that means she won’t be able to see her 85-yearold husband, who is being cared for at the Waldorf residence for senior citizens on Côte-st-luc Rd.
“I can’t go see my husband anymore, but I think it’s a good thing that visitors are barred, because these people are fragile,” she said.
“I think the measures are good, but I’m healthy. I don’t catch anything. There are lots of people who are 70 years old who are very active. It’s not old anymore, they should have made it at 80 years old.”
She said the government order could make a dent in her social life.
“I have a bridge club, and that’s my only outing of the week, so I hope it’s not cancelled,” she added. “If it is, I’ll deal with it.
“I have kids who tell me they’re not going to come see me because they’re afraid that they are carrying it,” she said.
“My grandchildren also aren’t coming over. That’s hard. But we speak on the phone.”
Tina Mintz isn’t a senior citizen, but the 59-year-old with diabetes falls into another category of people the government recommends stay home: those with compromised immune systems and chronic illnesses.
Mintz, who was walking home from the grocery store with her guide dog Keanna, said the coronavirus has made her worried.
“Because I know it could hit me much harder than a lot of other people,” Mintz said. “The regular flu hospitalized me once, so I am concerned, absolutely.”
She said she has been limiting her outings, but still goes to work, and takes the bus and métro several times a week to travel to courses that she teaches throughout the city.
Mintz gives sensitivity training classes to people in the tourism industry for a company called Kéroul. She said she keeps hand sanitizer and uses it often when she takes transit.
“I go to work, but the rest of the time, I’m a homebody, so I got all my medicine and groceries so that tomorrow I can stay put,” Mintz said.
I can’t go see my husband anymore, but I think it’s a good thing that visitors are barred, because these people are fragile.