Covid-19 crisis highlights our lack of respect for the elderly

THE current crisis highlights a disturbing public discourse about ageing that questions the value of older adults’ lives and disregards their valuable contributions to society. Even after many weeks of Covid-19, governments are still begging citizens to stay home.

In other words, is this pandemic reinforcing and highlighting the dormant ‘us’ versus ‘them’ phenomenon? It is also revealing that the younger adults who have died from complications of Covid-19 throughout the world have often generated long and in-depth media reports, while the deaths of thousands of older adults have been simply counted and summarised, if they were documented at all. This implies that the death of a young adult merits a life story, while the death of an older adult is too often merely a statistic.

Public messaging is important. How older and younger adults perceive their susceptibility to Covid-19 influences their health behaviours and has consequences. This may lead people to believe that an older person’s life may be less valuable than that of someone younger. What will be the cost to society of the sacrificed lives of older adults? Older adults are invaluable members of society.

They are a source of generational knowledge and wisdom, they contribute to the workforce in increasing numbers, they volunteer and they are key to the strength of our economies and our families.

We cannot afford to be careless about these lost lives because of ageist attitudes. We need to consider what we stand to lose if we let ageism influence how we discuss and treat older adults during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. ANTHONY WOODS,

Ennis, Co. Clare.

Enforce the rules

AS I was checking out at a supermarket, a woman aged about 30 (half my age) came within a metre of me. Given the current rise of confirmed cases of Covid-19, I asked the woman politely if she wouldn’t mind standing back until I was finished.

The woman not only didn’t step back, but accused me of having a social conversation with the till operator and said ‘some of us are in a hurry and I have sick people to mind’. This was uttered in a brash and bullying way. I asked the member of staff to intervene and request the woman to step back – he sat mute.

I then requested him to advise the woman that we were not ‘chatting’ but engaged in store business. He did this, but the woman continued to harass me and stepped even closer to me. I asked again for the woman to be asked to step back, and once again the employee sat mute. I suggested maybe it was time to call the manager; this was also ignored.

This bullying by people and inaction is not acceptable. It is potentially endangering my life as a vulnerable person, and the health, if not the lives of my family, including my young grandchildren. So how are we to stay safe?

Where is the enforcement? Where are the sanctions for those who are not adhering to or not enforcing the rules and laws?

The ultimate responsibility is with the Government and it is not doing enough for the people.

JOHN O’HARA, Carlow.

Don’t be selfish

REPORTS indicate one of the principal unions serving the German automotive industry is to initiate discussion on resorting to a four-day week to save jobs and minimise an employment crisis.

Such reports give me certain satisfaction insofar as, for more than a decade, I have tried to initiate debate on the impact modern technology has on employment.

Politicians, economists and most media personnel appear to believe that should such an employment crisis emerge, it will be far into the future when their terms of office have ended and their gratuities and pensions are secured. Such disregard for future generations appears extraordinarily callous.

PADRAIC NEARY, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.