Giving back love to the elderly
Lockdown or no lockdown, the elderly often battle the demons of loneliness, anxiety and depression. And with the Covid-19 pandemic fuelling uncertainty and fear, such feelings have only heightened. So, it is heartening to witness the younger generation take initiatives to put a smile on their faces. Be it Burak Soylu from Turkey who delivers goodies to self-quarantining elderly in the guise of Spiderman or Paige Okray, a 10-year-old from US, who pieced together a shower curtain with arm slots, to hug her grandparents — youngsters are trying their best to help the elderly wade through the crisis.
Psychologist Kanika Khosla says, “Whatever little social activities old people had with others, such as morning walks, laughter club or yoga, have come to a halt. But this is not the time to sulk. Video calls can help them see and talk to their friends and family members.”
She considers balcony meets as a great idea for multistorey buildings and suggests holding tea parties and chat sessions with neighbours on their respective balconies. Author and motivational speaker Karan Verma encourages youngsters to step up to the challenge. “Our elderly have weathered many storms but even for them this is a one-of-itssituation. kind It becomes the duty of young people to assuage the seniors. Social distancing shouldn’t come in way of human connection,” he says, while advising the elderly to tell themselves repeatedly that this too shall pass. In France, ‘One Letter, One Smile’ project encourages people to write letters to the elderly across Europe and is sending these out to those suffering from depression. Each one of us can learn from such people across the world who are trying to help senior citizens in innovative ways.