From the time coronavirus cases started rising in India, the government strictly instructed parents aged above 60 years to not venture out of their homes. This is to ensure that the vulnerable population do not get infected by the deadly virus. However, the flip side of this has made elderly feel that they are put on house arrest with nothing to do but just sit at home and watch TV. Putting elderly or aged people in such isolation can also increase their loneliness, depressive thoughts and affect their physical health.
Hence, if you are youngster or a married man or a relative who is reading this, make sure you spend quality time with your aging parents in this lockdown period because they are no less than a child now. Here are some tips:
1) Avoid putting news channels infront of elderly people 24/7. Watching news one or two hours a day is healthy but more than that is not. Because news channels are covering these days only about coronavirus.
2) Involve them in your discussions. If you are a college student of an office-goer, then share with them your feelings and thoughts about the developments in India and how far the country has progressed to overcome crisis. This will distract them from the current scenario and make them look at the positive side of life.
3) Cook a food item of their choice once in two days. Infact, you can ask them their old recipes of foods they used to prepare in their young days as per their culture and norms.
4) Get more acquainted about their friends and siblings by encouraging them to share their childhood and young age stories. This may not be possible daily considering you also have your personal life and ME-time, but set aside some time every week to bond with elderly family members. This will make them feel that they are being heard and they are also important.
5) Consider teaching them a mobile game or how to watch a video on YouTube. They may not learn it all at once. But slowly and steadily even they will show interest and may want to keep connections on WhatsApp or social media with their old classmates or relatives.
In case you are not living with your elderly loved ones, don’t feel guilty of not being able to be with them in this global crisis time. Try the best way possible to reach out to them or their neighbours and keep them connected on calls or mails.
