Living alone during the pandemic and dealing with the isolation.

Being the introvert that I am, I have pretty much been OK dealing with all this. BUT, that being said...it really hit hard when I came to the realization that I will not be able to go to my nieces home , as planned for Thanksgiving, due to the extra restrictions in place...no one in your home except for those who have been living there for the past two weeks
It has hit hard, and I have been pretty sad about it al.
 

if it weren't for my folks no one would even care.
Well, my brother and his family have never kept in touch with me. I have always kept in touch with them. I have tested this out several times. This time I went two years without calling my brother and he never reached out to see if I was dead or whatever. Talk about not caring.

My mother calls me occasionally to tell me about her issues, when I call her she says she’s busy and hangs up on me. What’s she busy doing? She’s 95, almost stone deaf, very sight impaired, and can barely walk short distances. How dang busy can she be?

At least your folks care. My dad left when I was 18, never saw or heard from him again. Now he’s dead. I am just saying lots of people are in the boat along side of you. I have noticed people on the forum care about you-that should count for something.

But you are right, of course, people care about the old folks less and less. It is the nature of our society, we have little value as the world moves on and passes us by and medical science keeps us alive longer and longer. What’s a person to do?

Live as long as you wish, live as long as you can, and make them pay more and more taxes to support our sorry selves. And, if you can, eat more ice cream. Sorry you are so depressed, hope you feel better tomorrow.
 
Whaaaat? Why the blank not? How old are they? Were you too busy with Collin? You can ask for permission to travel with a foster kid. My niece came to us as a baby foster kid, and they used to visit me in another state.
They are a 10 month old girl, a 3 year old girl, and and a 5 year old boy. The 3 and 5 year olds live in Kansas, the 10 month old in the Los Angeles area. Yes, I'd been busy with Collin and before that was waiting to receive my final foster care license and then for permission from his placement worker, and soon after all that was in place, covid hit. Before all of that, soon after the 5yr-old was born, I had extensive back surgery. I felt fully recovered within several weeks, getting around the house just fine, but the surgeon told me not to travel for at least 6 months and up to a year, and told me not to drive even locally for 3 to 6 months. I do face-time with them at least a couple times a month and talk with them on the phone every weekend. The 2 older ones call me Pop. Super cute.
 

Well, my brother and his family have never kept in touch with me. I have always kept in touch with them. I have tested this out several times. This time I went two years without calling my brother and he never reached out to see if I was dead or whatever. Talk about not caring.

My mother calls me occasionally to tell me about her issues, when I call her she says she’s busy and hangs up on me. What’s she busy doing? She’s 95, almost stone deaf, very sight impaired, and can barely walk short distances. How dang busy can she be?

At least your folks care. My dad left when I was 18, never saw or heard from him again. Now he’s dead. I am just saying lots of people are in the boat along side of you. I have noticed people on the forum care about you-that should count for something.

But you are right, of course, people care about the old folks less and less. It is the nature of our society, we have little value as the world moves on and passes us by and medical science keeps us alive longer and longer. What’s a person to do?

Live as long as you wish, live as long as you can, and make them pay more and more taxes to support our sorry selves. And, if you can, eat more ice cream. Sorry you are so depressed, hope you feel better tomorrow.
So much truth to your post.......Thank you.
 
Do you have any hobbies to help keep you busy?
Owning a house and a yard and all the maintenance that goes with that provides plenty to keep me busy, and in addition I also have things I enjoy that I can do alone. The problem is not finding things to keep me busy, but finding friends to share mutual information, conversations, and favors with.
 
Tabby, I've got a good friend..."Dr. Carl"...that lives in Evansville, Indiana, if you are anywhere close to
that area. Be happy to put you in contact with him, he's married to a Thailand gal and they have lots of extended family and friends in the area. He has practiced there for many many years.

Just have patience, I'd say "keep busy" maybe find some new hobbies and wait this out like so many of us are doing. Just got 3 new books in, so we're ready for winter fires and hot cocoa. All things come to those who wait, and wait...lol.
Thanks for your kind offer. I'm trying to figure out how to send a private message to you and when I select the mail icon in the blue strip at the top of the page, I just get a message that says "No conversations yet" ???
 
I like most of what you say. The part I disagree with is I'm not afraid of 100 people around me. Maybe I'm stupid. Just can't feel the fear.
I distrust the word "fear." No one wants to feel afraid but to blatantly disregard safety measures such as social distancing, mask wearing, keeping away from crowds, etc. Is not in anyone's best interest.
My husband caught Covid. Luckily it has been a mild case, but even so, he has been VERY I'll. We are going on 17 days now and he finally has gotten a little energy back. His fever, which spiked on and off to around 102 has finally dissipated for the last 3 days. Believe me when I tell you that you don't want even a mild case. Don't be fearful, be smart.
 
I am 72, and up until 5 months ago was working part time, doing grocery shopping, having my grandson spend the night, going to the movies, seeing my son and his family, having pedicures and manicures regularly. Now............I stay home, have my groceries delivered to my porch, no contact, if I see my children or grandchildren it is outside and far apart. I even had my medications sent by mail now. I am in solitary confinement! I read romance novels, total fantasy, or watch tv. I talk on the phone with a couple of friends and my son, but human contact that is about it. I have only been to the grocery store 5 times in 5 months. I had to get a ct scan, and I have canceled dentist appointments, eye doctor appointments etc. I have had virtual doctor appointments, but, I am going to have to go get a blood test for a medication that I take and I am uncomfortable about it. How are you all coping with this isolation?
I'm also 72 I've been working from home 3 days a week my room mate is Rocky my African Grey parrot says everything I want hear .
 
Hi Pip! We are about the same age and like you I also retired (2nd retired😂) in July. But unlike you, I am married so have daily inner action with another human. We both decided, after this covid thing was a few months old, to be cautious, careful (masks, distancing, etc) for ourselves as well as others, but to go on with our lives. We go to the grocery store, as well as other stores if we really have to, but not peak times or if the lots appear busy. We can afford to wait until they are not. We have been out, I think 3 times this year, to eat. Local diner never has more than one or two people in there at a time and they follow all of the safety protocols. We see our families, outside+masked+distancing, a few times but mostly via skype. Our town and county is very low as far as number of cases go. I miss, terribly, all of the outdoor festivals we used to go too, and I miss daily coffee with my friends, the grandkids popping in whenever they wanted to, but other than that our lives aren’t terribly much different than they used to be before covid. Winter is definitely harder than summer. Ay leadt then I could get outside, sit on the patio, and take care of the flowers. Didn’t feel quite so pent in. Reading? Walking? All good for the soul and body if you enjoy and like to do either. Oh, and we just ordered a couple of adult paint by number canvases to do this winter as other than reading, both of us are hobbyless.
 
Thanks for your kind offer. I'm trying to figure out how to send a private message to you and when I select the mail icon in the blue strip at the top of the page, I just get a message that says "No conversations yet" ???
I sent a reply to you...did you not get it?
 
Throwing in my two penneth -this time last year I had just finished twelve years of caring for my mother.
This may sound selfish but I felt i had got my life back.Little did I know.
After ten months of virtually no social contact,a Covid delayed Probate process still not complete (which is causing me problems )and no hope of anything I enjoy being allowed to return for many months I discover I actually like being with people.And as my friend network revolves around the things I enjoy I haven’t seen any of them(apart from one the two days I escaped) in all that time.
So I am going up the wall,posting rants on various forums I occupy,feeling very depressed with nothing to look forward to until who knows when and am pretty certain I have developed OCD.
Anyone remember the picture I posted of my food cupboard?I now have no cupboard space left for the stuff I’ve bought since.That’s not normal!
And after next week i won’t to be able to go out for breakfast.Total lockdown again.Which was my one bit of normality.
So living alone in all this is not good...the only person who has been in the house was the meter reader!
And I’m not bothered being out and about.I don’t feel unsafe and should I get Covid so be it.
But my sister has surprisingly invited me to Christmas lunch-after keeping me firmly at arms length throughout this-so I have one day away from the endless drudgery.
I fully understand the problems anyone who is living alone during this is having.
And I think we have just been forgotten about.Form a bubble with someone else?No one around here to form a bubble with with!
I think the mental health crisis Covid is causing needs to be addressed.
 

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