WHAT NOW FOR SENIORS POST-COVID?

There are many articles being written about what life might be like if and when we fully emerge from this pandemic.  So what might the world look like for seniors?

One recent article in the American magazine ‘Next Avenue’ lists the conclusions of a group of geriatric medical doctors, ageing experts, futurists, and industry experts.  Their predictions are diverse and include the following :

• Even when a vaccine is available, people over 60 have changed their mindsets about the risks to their health and will prioritise precaution.
• Fewer seniors will travel long distance, or to densely populated destinations.
• There will be demand for risk-reduced travel e.g. hotels with medical facilities, greater space between travelling passengers, and keen regard for disinfecting and cleanliness practices.
• At home this caution will continue the trend towards online shopping and the avoidance of supermarkets and other busy outlets.
• This will mean that more older people will have to become internet users.  The move to ‘digitalise’ elders will be speeded up much faster than previously imagined. This development has already started.
• A continued need for self-isolation, particularly for the medically vulnerable, could lead to more depression, but also – with the rise of internet use – greater contact with others via social media.  
• Along with the growth of the internet, and the need to maintain physical distancing for some, telemedicine will increase and people will be conducting all kinds of sessions with their doctors online.
• Industry will respond to develop a greater range of reliable home-testing devices.

You can read the full article here :   The New Normal in a Post Vaccine World.

I will add my own thoughts about our response to this virus.  It has made me, and maybe you, appreciate more fully the many pleasures I took for granted. It has increased my sense of gratitude for those pleasures, but also for the gift of being alive.  I am thankful for even small things that enrich my day – a phone call from a friend, a beautiful butterfly, a crimson sunset.   It has made me treasure my family, friends and neighbours even more, and has brought me closer to an appreciation of nature in all its forms.  After seeing animal and plant life take temporary relief from the harmful nuisance of mankind I am even more determined to do all I can to reduce my, and others’, impact on the planet.   And I have a strong desire for conscientious, empathic leadership to reach people from the heart in our times of need.

How about you?