The 3 months of self imposed isolation is really starting to wear my mother down. BCV (before covid-19) she had a strong social network, was volunteering and going to church every Sunday. Now she stays at home and has no one to interact with, except for my aunt (her sister) and uncle, who live next door. My mom spends most of her time on Facebook and I've been trying to come up with alternative ways for her to spend her time.
We video chat at least once a week and yesterday she broke down and started to cry because Facebook is her only social outlet. After a few questions I found out what kind of books she likes to read and have ordered a book for her and will keep ordering books for her monthly for the foreseeable future. The libraries are still closed in the town she lives in.
Any suggestions on ways to make isolation more bearable? I've suggested numerous hobbies but she's not interested in them.
My elderly aunt is kind of in the same position, it's just her and my cousin.
She and my cousin take a weekly drive to an open location, like the area surrounding a beach or just wherever and they get an ice cream cone.
She also visits with extended family, but they stay outside and six feet apart from each other. Ive heard that the virus does not spread as well outside and they make sure to keep a distance.
I think for my aunt, it's about calculated risks. Not sure if any of that works for your mom. I think my aunt's and your mom's generation were used to going out to socialize and it has been hard.
Do you think she would like zoom calls? I heard a story a while back that some of the senior center were doing classes on zoom and it's a little more duplicative of the in person experience.
At work we had a virtual happy hour on zoom, I didn't much care for it because there were too many people. But two of my friends and I had a zoom call and I thought that was much better.
My friend took me out for my birthday, and by that, I mean that we each sat in our car like a couple of hobos and ate our food and chatted with each other. I'm not a person who needs a lot of in person contact but this made me feel really good.
Also, if your mom likes books, maybe she can try podcasts?
The issue of mask-wearing is complex. I do my best to wear one when in crowds, but I do seriously consider the viewpoints of those who don't. That way, instead of being angry at those people, I can acknowledge that they have some valid perspectives, even if their decisions differ from mine.
Here are some of the perspectives I've heard from those who choose not to wear masks:
~ When COVID first appeared, we were told repeatedly that masks don't help. There are still no strong scientific studies confirming that masks do help. What does help? Social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and isolation of those who have been or may have been infected. The CDC website even says that "the cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing."
~ During the SARS outbreak years ago, we all saw pictures of mask-wearing people in affected countries. These articles contained prominent statements advising everyone that masks don't prevent the spread of disease at all; they just make people relax and feel better about going out.
~ Many people have issues with asthma or a mental health issue, and cannot wear masks, period. You cannot tell whether someone has a breathing problem or mental health issue by how fit or "normal" they appear to be. (Note: I personally have asthma and have to remove my mask immediately if I sense that my levels are dropping).
~ People who do wear face coverings are constantly touching them. By doing this, they are picking up all the germs they've breathed out into the mask. Then they are touching everything in the store or other public place, and then touching their faces again to adjust the mask. Thus, it is quite possible that more germs are being transmitted by mask wearing, than by going without masks.
~ Social isolation has a proven negative effect on one's immune system and overall health, and masks exacerbate the isolation.
Again, I am not saying that I agree with all of these points. However, if we seek to understand why someone may think or behave differently than we do, it helps us not be angry, upset, or anxious towards them - all of which emotions are also bad for our immune systems.
1. So, I don't remember the message ever being that masks didn't help. I remember the message being that healthcare workers needed them more and there wasn't enough of a supply. I can see how that would be awfully nuanced and could sound like "don't wear a mask, it doesn't help"
2. I think that we are learning more and more now about how the virus transmits and how masks can be used. Since we haven't really had a pandemic of this magnitude in a while I don't think we had previously done as much research as we are doing now and in as many settings.
We've been dealing with the virus for less than a year and the knowledge base is increasing everyday.
3. It appears that covid may spread more easily than SARS.
In covid cases the viral load is highest in the nose and mouth fairly early, so that may be when a person is asymptomatic or barely sick and therefore they can spread it without knowing. Versus SARS, where the viral load peaks later, when the person is already clearly sick. There don't appear to be cases of asymptomatic SARS spread. So if the viral load with SARS peaks when the carrier is really sick and likely out of commission, mask wearing may not have helped since those carriers would likely be out of the public anyways.
https://www.healthline.com/health/coronavirus-vs-sars#symptoms
4. Since ashtma is an underlying condition that could make covid so much worse, I really think those with asthma should really try to wear a mask or stay home.
I have an underlying condition and I'm super scared of getting coronavirus. At least for me, I can drive every other week and use Wal-Mart's curbside grocery pick up, which is contactless. I can order a lot of things online. I can deal with wearing a mask, but if I had a condition that fully barred me from breathing with a mask, it's probably one that would make the pulmonary effects of COVID 10x worse for me so I'd try to just stay away from people and inside.
5. Speaking of new research, apparently the virus can spread from surface to human, but it's unlikely. To me, this would mean that it's still better to wear a mask since surface to human spread seems unlikely even under the worst of circumstances.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5232748002