At some point we will all die and of course the older we are, the closer that event will definitely take place. Be that as it may, it does not make sense to ask them to wait in the graveyard for that day to come. We have all heard the misleading narrative that the highest percentage of deaths from COVID comes from the elderly, justifying the additional restrictions imposed on senior citizens “for their own good”. However, what was not mentioned is that the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, show that the elderly nearly had an identical death rate from all kinds of health-related causes as in COVID! You certainly do not need to be genius to figure out that the probability of people dying goes higher as they get older.
As a senior citizen, how can we best survive this pandemic? As suggested by some government agencies, your best chance would be just to stay in isolation and lock yourself up at home. For me there are problems with this solution. First is that no one knows when this pandemic will be over so this means that we are sentencing our senior citizens to an unknown jail time, even criminals have a better fate than this. At least they would know how long they will be in prison for. Second is that more people will die from isolation than from COVID. Seniors much like anyone else, suffer psychologically from isolation and physically from lack of activity, fresh air and sunshine. They are also unable to avail of their regular visit to the doctor for check-ups and treatment. Third is that staying home is no assurance that you will not catch COVID and when all that isolation has lowered your resistance level you are now more vulnerable.
How then do we as senior citizens survive this COVID? Do not let fear overwhelm you! While following government requirements in the use of PPE, social distancing, curfew and so on, go about with your daily life as best as you can. For those of us that still need to work for a living or because we want to, there are precautions that we can take to be able to do so safely. I know people in their 70s who still go to work regularly and I feel that is what keeps them alive.
For physical activity, lots of sunshine and fresh air, engage in not contact sports like walking, jogging, swimming, golf, riding a bicycle and so on. Better six feet apart than six feet under is a common phrase to advocate social distancing. This works even better in open air and sunshine!
Have a purpose and meaning in your life to keep you going! People tend to live longer when they have something to look forward to and when they are happy. While avoiding physical contact and engaging with strangers in crowded places, spend quality time with your close friends, relatives and immediate family members.
Given the limited options for various social activities, use this opportunity to improve yourself. You can go on a diet, sleep more regularly, engage in a hobby, learn a new skill and catch up on things you like to do but never seem to have the time. Who knows, once this COVID is over you may be able to benefit from your new activities.
Knowing we are in the latter stage of our life, let us make the most of it and enjoy what little time we have left.
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