How are you dealing with isolation these days?

jbloom123

New Member
The COVID19 pandemic has truly impacted our day to day lives. From a safety and health perspective we've had to enact social distancing. But this has the unintended side effects of isolating older adults who live alone, and rely on seeing friends, family, and local community members to feel engaged and keep up their emotional well-being. I'm curious to hear from people here if you're currently facing this situation and what you're doing to overcome it, if anything. What has worked, what hasn't worked?

Stay safe and be well,
John
 

Honestly, as the staunch homebodies that dear husband and I are, it's been right up our alley as to being at home an away from others. We're not big socialites, and actually loathe being around people and crowds, so being at home doing our own thing has been nice.

I've been darting out once a week to do the shopping, with an occasional stop at the bank, and that's it, and as for the reduced traffic and hustle-bustle, I couldn't ask for a more ideal lifestyle!
 
I live alone, so the isolation is rather tough for me. Luckily I have been able to interact with people via phone and email. As well as chatting with neighbors at a distance.
I have gone through some depression, though, like @Aunt Marg I have normally been a bit of a homebody anyway.

What I find is that I have doing a lot to keep myself busy around the house. Clearing up clutter, cooking and freezing things. I have finally gotten the ambition to finish clearing out much more of my husband's things. For those who do not know, I lost him a year ago last month.

I have gotten back into reading, and now the weather is finally cooperating enough where I can take some walks outside. Have even sat out on my deck a couple times.

Have any of you found you have been doing some reflections on your own lives lately? Maybe thinking about how you will change things when we are finally off isolation?
 

Our life hasn't changed much....we live in the boondocks, with plenty to do outdoors. We do miss frequent visits with the kids and grandkids, so those get togethers have been reduced. We put the facemasks on, and hit the stores as needed....but limit our time there. Probably the biggest "impact" has been our not going to the casinos....but that is saving us some money. When they reopen, we'll "splurge" a bit.
;
 
We're retired, and although I walk my dog every day in a big open park, where I can easily stay away from people, I haven't been out shopping. I've done just fine with no contact deliveries, curbside pickups, etc. I don't live alone, so I always have my husband there with me. I will be working on getting my dog to answer my questions....in any language. :D
 
I've been going out once a week for the last couple of months and a new pattern of daily life is starting to emerge.

I don't really miss going out to run errands on the spur of the moment.

I did notice that my vehicle runs a little rough due to lack of use.

As long as I have the internet as a daily diversion I'm fine.
I don't miss running errands either Aunt Bea, since my husband has had some trouble with his leg, for a long time I ran to different supermarkets every week when the ads came out to score on the sales in each store. I really don't miss that at all, been a vacation really. ;)
 
I was isolated before this so no difference. Therapist used to get on my case about it. You should do this. You should do that. The suggestions sounded dumb. Be different if I wanted to involve myself in someone else's trouble. I went to find help processing my grief. I quit going to the therapist. That helped a lot more.
 
Honestly, as the staunch homebodies that dear husband and I are, it's been right up our alley as to being at home an away from others. We're not big socialites, and actually loathe being around people and crowds, so being at home doing our own thing has been nice.

I've been darting out once a week to do the shopping, with an occasional stop at the bank, and that's it, and as for the reduced traffic and hustle-bustle, I couldn't ask for a more ideal lifestyle!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Aunt Marg. I'm glad you and your husband have a close relationship and are not too impacted by the situation. Being at home certainly if you have a steady routine and plenty to do :) All the best.
 
I live alone, so the isolation is rather tough for me. Luckily I have been able to interact with people via phone and email. As well as chatting with neighbors at a distance.
I have gone through some depression, though, like @Aunt Marg I have normally been a bit of a homebody anyway.

What I find is that I have doing a lot to keep myself busy around the house. Clearing up clutter, cooking and freezing things. I have finally gotten the ambition to finish clearing out much more of my husband's things. For those who do not know, I lost him a year ago last month.

I have gotten back into reading, and now the weather is finally cooperating enough where I can take some walks outside. Have even sat out on my deck a couple times.

Have any of you found you have been doing some reflections on your own lives lately? Maybe thinking about how you will change things when we are finally off isolation?

Thanks for sharing, Marie. I'm sorry for your loss. I understand that the isolation can be tough. I'm glad you are able to speak to neighbors, and stay in touch with folks over phone and email! Have you tried any smart phone apps for that purpose too? Also doing activities is great way to keep active and busy, and give some direction in your daily life :) Are you part of any local community organizations that offer support? All the best.
 
Our life hasn't changed much....we live in the boondocks, with plenty to do outdoors. We do miss frequent visits with the kids and grandkids, so those get togethers have been reduced. We put the facemasks on, and hit the stores as needed....but limit our time there. Probably the biggest "impact" has been our not going to the casinos....but that is saving us some money. When they reopen, we'll "splurge" a bit.
;

Thanks for sharing Don. I can understand not seeing your kids and grandkids is tough. Are you at least able to speak on the phone or do a video chat session? Definitely good to limit your outing exposure at least for the time being. Ah that's interesting to hear that the casinos are a big activity for you, and yes, the silver lining will be saving up some of that money! Maybe put it towards a vacation fund for when the travel restrictions are lifted :) All the best.
 
I've been going out once a week for the last couple of months and a new pattern of daily life is starting to emerge.

I don't really miss going out to run errands on the spur of the moment.

I did notice that my vehicle runs a little rough due to lack of use.

As long as I have the internet as a daily diversion I'm fine.

The biggest part is adapting and adjusting to the new situation, and sounds like you're finding that. Do you get a chance to interact and stay in touch with others virtually (phone, video, email)? Thanks for sharing Aunt Bea. Best of luck with the car :)
 
Thanks for sharing Don. I can understand not seeing your kids and grandkids is tough. Are you at least able to speak on the phone or do a video chat session? Definitely good to limit your outing exposure at least for the time being. Ah that's interesting to hear that the casinos are a big activity for you, and yes, the silver lining will be saving up some of that money! Maybe put it towards a vacation fund for when the travel restrictions are lifted :) All the best.

We speak with the kids frequently on the phone, and I'm even toying with the idea of putting a web-cam on my computer. When we do visit the kids, or they come here, we stay a few feet away from each other, and no hugs.....weird.

We used to travel quite a bit, but as we got older, we found that the casinos supplied us with plenty of entertainment. We manage our money properly, and usually wind up spending 20 or 25 days at the casino each year for about the same amount of money we would spend on a 5 or 6 day cruise. So, in terms of "value" the casinos serve us with a very cost effective means of breaking up our routine.
 
Thanks for sharing, Marie. I'm sorry for your loss. I understand that the isolation can be tough. I'm glad you are able to speak to neighbors, and stay in touch with folks over phone and email! Have you tried any smart phone apps for that purpose too? Also doing activities is great way to keep active and busy, and give some direction in your daily life :) Are you part of any local community organizations that offer support? All the best.

Thanks. Well, when things are normal, there is a senior group nearby. Plus church. And just before this started I was looking into Oasis, which offers classes for older folks.
To be honest, my smart phone is wasted on me. I use it to talk and text. I video chat via Facebook messenger on my laptop and tablet
 
Honestly, as the staunch homebodies that dear husband and I are, it's been right up our alley as to being at home an away from others. We're not big socialites, and actually loathe being around people and crowds, so being at home doing our own thing has been nice.

I've been darting out once a week to do the shopping, with an occasional stop at the bank, and that's it, and as for the reduced traffic and hustle-bustle, I couldn't ask for a more ideal lifestyle!
I could have written this, apart from the bit about the husband!.
 
Since I live alone, my main human contact is usually servers at restaurants, people when out shopping, and church. I also have a friend who owns a greenhouse that I stop by and chat with during the off-season.

This bug has killed restaurants, done away with church service (now it's solely phone & email contact with friends there), and has kept my shopping to a minimum. Being springtime, I don't bother my friend at his greenhouse because he's so daggone busy...and his elderly parents (pushing 90) are not doing well.

You'd be surprised at the conversations you can have just being out & about when you're on your own. Lots of people speak with you when you're not with somebody else. The things I've heard. But that's gone for now.

It's been a little too isolating for even me, and I'm mostly fine being on my own. I'm one of those people who will leave a party when I hit a point where I've had enough human interaction for one evening. But having no human interaction is wearing on me.

And I need a haircut.
 
...You'd be surprised at the conversations you can have just being out & about when you're on your own. Lots of people speak with you when you're not with somebody else. The things I've heard. But that's gone for now.
I'm not very social, but I admit that I miss the brief dialogues with people that I don't know and will never likely run into again. I've found that I like everyone in 20 minutes or less encounters!
 
The COVID19 pandemic has truly impacted our day to day lives. From a safety and health perspective we've had to enact social distancing. But this has the unintended side effects of isolating older adults who live alone, and rely on seeing friends, family, and local community members to feel engaged and keep up their emotional well-being. I'm curious to hear from people here if you're currently facing this situation and what you're doing to overcome it, if anything. What has worked, what hasn't worked?

Stay safe and be well,
John
The cold weather keeps me indoors during my favorite season - and that makes it stressful for me. This week, I'm making more of my pipe-cleaner face masks so that, when it warms, I can hit the garden centers. That will help shake off this bit of malaise that is setting in of late.
 


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