Plight Of The Elderly: Locked Down And Isolated
Never before has one reason been the cause of global unity and yet the cause of loneliness for some. While the lockdown to stop the spread of the highly infectious COVID-19 has pushed the world to socially distance themselves, the elderly feel isolated. Now, as India is staring at the looming extension of the 21-day lockdown, experts and family members are wary about what lies ahead after April 14.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) outlines that older age and underlying conditions increase the risk of severe infection. It isn’t just the heightened risk of infection, however, that has the seniors worried. Social-distancing for the elderly comes with a feeling of loneliness, insufficient stock of groceries and medicines, lack of domestic help and struggles of getting timely healthcare.
Vasant Ambekar, 81, a resident of Mumbai, is anxious and irritable. Suffering from Parkinson’s, he is dependent on three doses of Syndopa Plus and Syndopa CR daily. Skipping a dose would limit his mobility drastically. Unable to anticipate that these locally made drugs would be in short supply, he ran out of stock on April 4, 11 days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown.
Vasant Ambekar, 81, a resident of Mumbai, is anxious and irritable. Suffering from Parkinson’s, he is dependent on three doses of Syndopa Plus and Syndopa CR daily. Skipping a dose would limit his mobility drastically. Unable to anticipate that these locally made drugs would be in short supply, he ran out of stock on April 4, 11 days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown.
(81-year-old Vasant Ambedkar, a Parkinson's patient, with his family)
Frantic calls to over 60 chemists in the area were made, much to his family’s disappointment. The desperation prompted his daughter-in-law to tweet an SOS. “Soon after I tweeted, the Mumbai Police put provisions in place that allowed me to drive around nearby areas to look for medicines. But after six hours and 18 shops, I could only get 20 tablets,” says Pooja, Mr Ambedkar’s daughter-in-law. The lockdown has disrupted drug supplies across cities. The owner of a chemist shop in Delhi says retailers have stopped taking calls for orders as they are unable to deliver them. “Sometimes, my delivery boy is unable to report for duty due to transport issues. On those days I ask people to pick up the medicines themselves. I know this is a hinderance to the elderly but I am out of options,” says the chemist, who asked not to be named. Pooja, 32, is the only member in the Ambedkar family who can go out for essentials. Her husband underwent a kidney transplant, which puts him at a high risk of contracting the coronavirus. As they now anxiously wait for timely delivery of medicines by an online supplier, the octogenarian is grateful to be surrounded by his family who form an integral part of caregiving. A survey by non-profit HelpAge India shows that 6 per cent of senior citizens in India live alone. Experts say the lockdown has exacerbated the condition of loneliness. In the absence of a social circle, the elderly who live alone often experience anxiety and depression, according to Dr Maherra Desai, a clinical psychologist and author of The Coronavirus. For Manjira, a communications professional from Mumbai, the lockdown has sent her on a guilt trip. The abrupt announcement of the pan-India curfew deprived her of a chance to be closer to her elderly parents who live in Kolkata. Her 74-year-old mother doubles up as her father’s caregiver and has to cook, clean and do household chores since their domestic help can no longer visit them amid the lockdown. “WHO and experts emphasise continuous disinfection, but I can’t imagine the elderly mopping floors and wiping surfaces. Most of them lack the physical stamina,” says Manjira. A drive down south Kolkata will make it clear that this part of the city lacks gated living. Most homes here are new-age condominiums without a residents’ welfare association. Unlike gated communities in other Indian cities, the residents in south Kolkata have taken it upon themselves to arrange essential services to their own doorsteps. (Kolkata resident, Swagata Ghosh, 74, has to do all household chores on her own amid the lockdown) “Each person reacts differently to anxiety, but senior citizens should not feel abandoned and should seek help through telemedicine and other caregiver portals,” says Dr Desai. Though it may take a while for the elderly to get used to the idea of consulting a doctor over a phone or any other device, there are initiatives online that offer them help. Caremonger India, a trend that began in Canada and that has spread to parts of the US and Africa, is a community of volunteers who help senior citizens living alone. Their Facebook page shows requests pouring in seeking help to deliver groceries to elderly family members in far-flung cities like Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata and parts of Mumbai. Trained volunteers, equipped with masks and gloves, deliver essentials to senior citizens. These initiatives are helpful, says Manjira. “But a more sustainable policy to take care of the elderly is needed, especially during a crisis when access is the biggest impediment,” she says. (Snigdha Basu is a multi-media journalist who writes on health and environment in India and Southern Africa)Latest Videos