While most people are leading their somewhat regular life in Unlock-1 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the senior citizens are feeling lonely and frustrated in their homes. Several even stated that they are feeling more isolated at home now than before due to the resumption of the jobs of their children. While the government has provided certain relaxation to people in order to resume their lives while following the protocols to avoid Covid-19 contagion, the old people are still not advised to enter into various premises as the risk of contagion is more in senior citizens.
According to a 68 year old retired teacher Umed Singh Rawat, life was better for him when there was a complete lockdown in the State. "During the lockdown days, my children were at home and we used to spend time together but as soon as the lockdown was lifted and their work resumed, I started to experience loneliness. I know why I should not go outside much but staying home 24 hours for about three months now is quite frustrating," said Rawat. Another local resident Shyam Singh Dhyani said that he feels more annoyed when other adults of his family are allowed to go outside but he is not because of his age. “I am 71 years old and I like evening walks but my children do not allow it. Now I cannot go for a walk before 7 PM in summer as it is still hot at that time and my children tell me not to step outside after 7 PM," said Dhyani.
"I do Yoga at home, watch television and play video games but now it all feels forced rather than being enjoyable. Everyone is busy at home with their own tasks so I do not disturb them.
On the other hand, it feels little better on weekends because all the family members spend some quality time together but most of the time they resume their work at home too,” he added.
Talking about the loneliness and frustration the senior citizens are experiencing in the current crisis, Dehradun based psychotherapist Aditi Arora said that people should spend quality time with the older people in their families as much as possible. She stated that everybody has resumed their jobs but spending time with older family members can help them to revive their optimism and make them feel more integrated and less isolated in the current scenario. “The children can make a big difference in the lives of senior citizens in their families.
The families should bring back the old traditional way of spending time including playing board games like ludo and carrom or a musical game like Antakshari," said Arora.
She also added that due to everybody's busy schedule, the families can make a plan to play certain games during weekends so that everyone gets the chance to interact with each other and get to spend quality time with elderly members.
