Anyone else's Parents swanning about as if they are immortal?

[Namechange2020onceagain]

Just had a chat with my Mum, she then asked if I want anything from B&Q as they are popping in there tomorrow! This is after they went shopping to Sainsburys this morning and then said they are going again on Friday.

I have said I will get any shopping they need, but they keep going out.

FFS they are both over 70 and my Dad will die if he gets the virus. They are not taking it seriously at all.

It's a similar predicament for separated families. Court orders dictate to send children. So we have to go out to facilitate this access. The 70 plus aren't doing what they have been advised. Some families won't have a clue who has visited their children or where they have been all weekend.
Kind of makes me think what's the point in trying, despite needing to.

Wasting time? If everyone in the uk already has it, millions will be dead in a couple of weeks because we can't treat 10 percent of 70 million all at once

Just like what hasn't happened anywhere else in the world
Yes, overrun hospitals, thousands dead worldwide. Yet you think in 2 weeks time millions will be dead in the UK because we all got it?

But not everyone has it by any but the most deluded imagination

Midgebabe, that's still only confirmed cases though.

You can't treat those figures like they include everyone who has the virus.

I’m an optician and I’m astounded at the number of people of all ages booking in for routine appointments. I’m worried about seeing them and being so close to them, when they are the exact people disregarding the government advice.
I’m also astounded that my work are still open but that’s another story 🙄

To be fair my mum's not the only one nothat thinking of others,my neighbours,the husband is about to start his 2nd week of isolation,the wife and kids are still going to work school and social activities.

Give NHS workers tests now! It’s a disgrace that Idris Elba got one immediately and keeps sending stupid updates on Twitter to his fans!

Yes. Porridge and echinacea will see them right. 🤯

Did anyone hear the 86 year old calling in to the radio yesterday, telling them he was going to be walking to the bicycle shop to collect his new bike, then going for a nice long bike ride before going about his daily life out and about as usual?

He described himself as “a very naughty boy”. No, not a very naughty boy, nor the Messiah I imagine, but a selfish old so and so putting at risk countless of his peers who aren’t as robust as he clearly believes he is.

My mother is a nightmare, you ca’t tell her anything. Yesterday she was off to slimming club and today she’s off to craft club. She has asthma and gets a chest infection at the drop of a hat. All she’s bothered about is not being able to go on holiday, you’d think she’s the only one whose having her life disrupted. I was supposed to be going away as well, she’s been on two holidays since we’ve been away ffs, but I’m not complaining.

There’s going to be loads of older people wiped out simply because they knew better than the medical experts and continued to go out contrary to advice. Yesterday I was speaking to my music teacher who said he’d told his parents he’d fetch shopping for them and they’d just laughed at him.

Is it me or are there a lot of older people who aren’t taking this seriously?

I have no problem with the elderly doing what they like as long as if they catch the virus they don’t go to hospital and take the place of somebody who has tried their best to self isolate,
They know the risks, they should suffer the consequences however bad that may be.

@NotWorried51 You may be educated, but you don't sound very intelligent.

Very naughty boy. Fgs! So very very selfish. If he gets it is he going to refuse a ventilator? What about the people he infects?

It’s sods law that this virus is more serious for older people but I guess not surprising. Old people - please take this seriously. It’s not just all about you and your wants and please also think about the family who will be called when something happens to you. My parents have done all sorts of daft things in their lives, living in a hoarders house, crossing the road without looking because they know cars will stop for them. Who do they have as their emergency contact - yep ME!!

I feel half of London emergency services/care home where one parent now lives have me on speed dial.....

Keep reading people go on about the younger generation not taking it seriously so why should the over 70s?. The key difference is that their age makes them more vulnerable so it is beyond stupid to think you are invincible.

Schools arent closing to keep children away from vulnerable groups as when they catch it, they do not show symptoms or have milder symptoms. Plainly put it is stupid for an over-70 to compare themselves to a teenager, primary aged child or even a 30 year old, even if all these people have no underlying conditions, the risks are markedly different.

Younger people with underlying conditions seem to overwhelmingly get it, but older people are just refusing to think their age makes them vulnerable and going on about ageism. No the risk is you will die. Except for a few anomalies everyone who.has died in the UK is an OAP. Why is that so difficult to understand?

If you insist on being social butterflies and congregating unnecessarily as over-70s more of you will get it and the aNHS will be under even more pressure and you will be triaged based on age and not get treatment.

Sadly they or their family will be screaming for care. Sharp elbows will win out or who shouts loudest. You only have to look at the loo roll situation!

My mum is 80 fit and healthy and prefers to take her chances with the virus than to change her lifestyle. I despair.

Snog: have you asked her if she will refuse treatment?

Will they triage based on age? If that was known by the over 70’s especially those with other health conditions maybe that will jump start them into thinking this is serious stuff

Thank God for my stepmother. She put my dad straight more than I ever could.

I don’t have much contact with my parents as my mum she lives a long way away ( she’s fine) and my dad lives abroad. I know that obviously elderly people have to get essentials of course but I have not really seen them looking bothered about this dreadful situation. My small market town in Kent has a large elderly population and there are just loads of older people milling about as normal. I saw one older man yesterday - about 80, smoking and walking down the street as proud as punch. Well, if they all get it they can stay out of hospital can’t they. Sorry for generalising here but many baby boomers think they’re immortal- my parents included.

I live over 100 miles away from my parents. My mother is carer for my dad who has alzheimer’s. I can’t just drop everything to go and look after them if they get ill, even if it’s still possible. Honestly, I can’t believe how she can be so cavalier with her own health, et alone my dad, who doesn’t have the mental capacity to even know what’s happening. she won’t be going on any holidays ever again if she catches it and dies, and god knows what’ll happen to my dad if he survives her. Bloody selfish in the extreme. It’s a few bloody months ffs, slimming club can wait. Do your fucking diet at home.

My mother remembers being a child in the war and says it was horrible. She was only little when she and loads of other children from Glasgow were evacuated to the countryside where they were locked out and forced to shit in fields, mistreated, underfed, and desperately homesick. Her parents took her home.

My other granny ran a black market racket involving Italian POWs and ice cream.

So no, not everyone 'came together' in the war, not everyone was selfless, and not everyone sang their way through the privations, grief and destitution.

My 87 Yo dad is exactly the same - it is so frustrating

and if they think they've lived through previous flus - this is estimated to be 510,000 deaths without these measures but they are hoping if everyone follows the guidelines they can keep it to 20,000 - still massive numbers but a hell of a lot less

Not sure why the old people who are out are being moaned at. -

Look at this - it shows you exactly the point of isolating - it is for the good of EVERYONE.

There is not enough emergency treatment/ventilators for everyone all at once

MiL went to play golf yesterday, as usual. Clubhouse open, coffees and lunch all round.
But then individually wipes with antibac EVERY bit of shopping from Tesco delivery. Because “You never know...”. I love her dearly but man alive she can be thick sometimes.

I am not ffs.

We know the incubation period and the spreading rate .

If 1 person tests positive and can infect 2 people before they end up in hospital, and those 2 people infect 2 more each we still know that there are 7 people infected as soon as we have tested the first guy, even though none of the others at that stage have symptoms

.. We can up those rates a lot them and and still get can't get even half the uk currently infected

The current policy is to reduce the infection rate as people are most infectious when showing symptoms and to remove the at risk population from circulation to avoid them catching it

Yes, people of all age groups are flouting the recommendations.
But its' our parents (that's what the OP was about) who are in the most risk category.
And we care about them.
So that's why we're frustrated, it's not just having a pop at boomers, and saying "well young people go out too" doesn't come into it.

as when their younger family members may be in need of medical treatment and ventilators there may not be enough to go round at the time if the influx is too great, so NHS are going to have to choose who has what.

If anyone is happy to play this russian roulette - then the shops opened 10 mins ago