Do you find that the older generation are not really taking this seriously?

[MySofaHasACatOnIt]

My parents are in their 60s and are very ‘yeah yeah whatever’ about this. My 90-year-old grandmother has completely poo-pooed my concerns when I suggested she stop going to the library every other day and to stay home if possible. Her response? ‘We managed to live through small pox during the war!’

All of my friends/colleagues who all have parents who are 60 plus have said that they’re not taking this seriously at all, with many thinking they know better than the majority if European governments. Completely not fussed about it, still going to mass gatherings, still traveling etc

Meanwhile people I know in their 30s/20s etc seem genuinely worried, are taking precautions etc. No one is panicking but they are being sensible, whereas the older generation I know are almost treating it all as a joke!

Anyone else finding this?

Several over 80s in my family are taking the same approach. Living life as normal. All say in various different ways that if they stop, sit down, stay in then that's the end of them anyway.

I've spoken to my parents today. They're in their 70s and weren't complacent, know the grandchildren could be prime carriers, etc. I think some people's responses are near hysterical tbh.

My parents are 79 and 80. Mum just said ‘we might die any day’. And I’m saying, ‘but all the same I’d prefer you didn’t die of this’.

Not sure what else I can do/say.

My dad said he would rather die a fast death from this than a slow death from cancer or dementia. He is 88. He does not have cancer or dementia that he knows of.

Certainly on my bus, nobody is taking this seriously.

DH and I are 50s/60s. We are assuming that we will get it at some point, but hopefully not too badly. We aren't isolating ourselves because DD is still going to school so really there's no point. We have some extra stocks in to cover a period of illness. But we aren't intending to self isolate for months on end.

My DPs 80s/90s are semi isolating. Have started online shopping and only doing urgent medical appointments.

I think there is a lot of 'we're doomed' going on.

I'm in that age group, I know that I don't have forever to live and that I will probably get cancer or dementia before the end. Frankly I would like to stay on this earth a while longer, but compared to the choices, the death brought about by this virus is at least relatively fast.

I feel for the younger people with health conditions.

I think that at 80/90 your number’s gonna be up soon anyway so you might as well live the life you have left.

I actually think that it’s the people who are elderly and who do have underlying conditions, while most are being aware/vigilant, are also realistic about the fact that we all have to die of something, and those people are more likely to die of old age/whatever pre-existing condition they have than the Coronavirus.

I have a serious heart condition and I am only too aware that I am probably going to die of that one day, and that if I do catch Coronavirus then I very likely will not survive. I am vigilant, have stayed away from public transport where I can, wouldn’t want to go on a holiday or a cruise, practice strict hand hygiene and am aware of symptoms.

I hope to not catch the virus. But there is no point panicking about that which we have no control over. Life does have to go on. I have a job interview next week and I have to travel by public transport into the city to attend. There’s no way I can cancel. Assuming I don’t catch Corona (and I’m assuming that I won’t) I need a job.

This is exactly what happened in Italy though, they are stubborn like us, they wouldn't listen to their government, they didn’t listen to anyone until the horror stories and photos started pouring out of the hospitals, they get it now and soon we will too

Yes I agree

Yep, totally agree here with my 4 parents (2 mine, 2 DHs).... all over 75, FIL recently diagnosed with COPD and likely to need chemo for CMML in next few weeks....still going the gym, out for coffee, socialising, etc yet I’ve stopped going the gym. If they continue after the weekend I’ll just go back to the gym and carry on....💁🏼‍♀️....can’t see the point in me being careful about passing it on if they’re not.
I can see their point of view though, it’s about their quality of life.

I can understand that no one wants to live forever. I can understand that some would rather die of this than dementia.

But what about when they don’t care about passing it onto others? Dh nan expects his dad to be at her beck and call. He’s there everyday. She’s still out on public transport every day at 93 with no care. FIl is 72 with a heart condition. She could pass it onto him.

My dad is 84. I’m pregnant and had pneumonia in December that took me the best part of two months to shake. I don’t want to get I’ll again but he’s guilt tripping me wanting to come and visit.

Yes!! My father is recovering from cancer and had only recently finished chemotherapy. I phoned my parents there and apparently they’re looking after my 5 year old niece for the weekend! I’m aghast at how irresponsible this is and annoyed at my brother for even asking!! This is dicing with death stuff. They really aren’t taking this seriously at all.

I’m experiencing some older people who are absolutely terrified and see this as a death sentence. For many, they are more worried about losing their wife/husband. There are also many that don’t understand what is actually happening because there is so much information bombarding them (including false information) so they feel completely overwhelmed.

My mother! Had open heart surgery a fee years ago. Still gets very very breathless as the valve failed and have her heart failure. Absolutely riddled with arthritis. I popped in some shopping to her today and she refuses to stop all her activities. She is still going to church tomorrow (with an average age of about 70), still going to other stuff. The only thing she has stopped doing was Volunteering in her local care home (she really should be on a care home herself but had volunteered for years with the dementia patients) as she wouldn't want them to get it!

I have tried saying she needs to take some personal responsibility and we all want her to live but she said she would get too lonely and upset staying at home and it wouldn't be good for her mental health.

Us over 60s. We’re a fucking nuisance aren’t we? Never mind. We’re in the group that’s more likely to die so we won’t be a problem for ever. 🙄

It's not dicing with death! FGS! They are the generation that didn't have a lot of vaccines and made it through. It's not the Black Death. What are you going to do, never see or touch your family again? It's impossible to just stop living for months on end.

Exactly, Alexa! My wife is in her 60s and still - shock! horror! - going to work as a hospital consultant. Can you imagine if all of them just stopped showing up because they are 'dicing with death'? There'd be outrage!

Yep same here. My mum told me she was (and I quote) “pretty good with viruses”. I pointed out that the problem was she could give it to my father who is on heart medication and she said “well I wouldn’t get it anyway, as we mostly just go to our club and it’s basically isolated anyway!”

I don’t think it’s necessarily all this age or that, but a lot of people are being really dumb in my opinion. Keep acting the way they are and it won’t be any surprise that it gets out of control.

It's funny all this shaming and scolding but people still expect supermarket shelves to be stocked, petrol garages to have fuel, doctors and nurses to treat patients, care homes to have staff reporting for work, bins to be lifted.

My Mum is in her late seventies and is taking some precautions, but she isn't worried. She is very much in the mind of enjoying what time she has left rather than worrying about the way in which she will die. From what she tells me, her friends seem to be thinking similar.

My parents are definitely taking this seriously.

if I was 90 I'd probably be like 'yeah come on covid19 if you think you're 'ard enough' :o

My widowed 76 year old mum says she's going to die at some point and that she'd rather I inherited the lot due to coronavirus than she had to pay for a carehome at some point. I think she's found living without my dad really hard and would rather the end came sooner than later.

Dh's parents seem to have a similar attitude (they are a similar age with a load of existing health issues).

On the other hand my paternal aunt is absolutely terrified.