Social distancing in practice
Our older Australians – those in and out of care – are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19, and of experiencing complications, such as pneumonia, which make the virus so lethal. We all have a role to play in keeping our elderly safe and well.
We’ve seen calls from Governments around the world to not visit aged care homes or elderly relatives if you’re feeling unwell. To practice social distancing where possible – which also means that grandma and grandpa might not be able to babysit while the parents work. During this time, human connection is still important. We know that social isolation can have a detrimental impact on health and wellbeing, particularly for elderly people. Technology – phone calls and face-time – will be important to check in on loved ones.
For those older Australians living at home and capably caring for themselves, there are different challenges. Like ensuring access to food and household products. We have all seen the images and footage of supermarket shelves completely cleared of goods. This is putting a strain on all Australians, with older Australians in particular feeling like they can’t compete and often missing out.
In a positive move, recent announcements by both major supermarket operators introducing initiatives such as a dedicated hour for senior and disabled Australians to come in and do their weekly shop without having to battle the hordes of people stocking up on toilet paper, pasta and tinned foods. This will help protect them from coming into contact with the virus, as well as provide an equal opportunity to get their groceries before they are sold out.
This is a time of extreme stress for our community. We can all do our part to flatten the curve.
