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.

My parents insisted that they came and saw DD today as they haven't seen her in a whilst (a week). Mum left crying as I said that we wouldn't be visiting for a whilst.

My crazy dad stating he's not going to self isolate and that he's coming up next week to plant potatoes.

There's no talking to these two!

Are you drunk Marsha? You’re posting gibberish all over the place tonight.

No pissed off with people not adhering to what us pretty basic instruction

Which ends in higher death rate

Sorry to be so grim.

My MIL is 86, various health problems and pretty much housebound. 430 miles away so she relies on caters and a lovely volunteer from Age UK who does her shopping, has cups of tea and does crosswords with her. She’s in her late 60s though with her own issues so I’m not sure for how long that will continue.

She was already content with her long and happy life and resigned and had signed a do not resuscitate permission on her last hospital admission.

If you have elderly parents who strongly feel this way and feel able to raise it with them, please ask them to write their feelings down.

She would be absolutely devastated if she came through this and woke to discover she had received u wanted treatment.

My own mother is very much the opposite. 81, incredibly fit with no health issues whatsoever and I really hope her case would be considered on its merits as she would want it to be.

And that asthma link? That’s just rubbish scaremongering

I’m assuming that someone who says When it’s your time, it’s your time is pretty philosophical about dying and wouldn’t be making demands on NHS resources, in which case it’s a perfectly realistic and unselfish viewpoint.
But they are only thinking about themselves. Unless they are writing a “do not give me any medical intervention” document. And that is leaving aside the issue of them spreading the virus to other people, or that of the overflowing morgues and crematoria working 24/7, of mass graves and no funerals, and their family having to deal with all this horror.

My lovely Mum has COPD and is on oxygen 15 hours a day and rarely leaves the house anyway. Darling Sis does her big shops and leaves bags at the front door.

Neighbour does daily bits, washes hands to come in, wipes door handles with Dettol wipes as she comes and goes.

Mum puts all her change in a pot full of Dettol, uses the wipes on notes! Says she's laundering money . She's put notices on her door to tell folk not to call and speaks to them through the window.

Pretty sure she'll outlive us all!

We all think about ourselves. None of this outrage is concern for other people, it’s all about being furious because people are not doing as they’re told.

When we finally lockdown they can end it so should be soon Tg

Yep! Both over 70, still nipping out as normal. I asked if they had any hand sanitiser, mum said that dad was using it so she's automatically fine. 🤔

When we finally lockdown they can end it so should be soon Tg

You are drunk, aren’t you? That makes zero sense.

Oh come on comprehension
We will lock down soon and you and everyone else will be stuck inside. Good.

None of this outrage is concern for other people,
My outrage is entirely to do with concern for other people, for my own elderly parents, and for people across the country. I don’t want people to have to be told what to do, I want them to have some brains and compassion and realise it for themselves. If a gun is aimed at you and someone says “hide”, do you refuse because you don’t want to be told what to do?

@pollyglot - in what way have you any connection to the kinds of parents being discussed? Did you expect a “well done, aren’t you marvellous”?

People are talking about their own experiences, what they are seeing. You have already decided to live a fairly off-grid life, so are way ahead of the game. I’m sure you can’t even see the pleasure in walking around the shops.

Meanwhile, things I have learnt from this thread

• that John Lewis and B&Q are probably a petrie dish!
• normalcy bias is a bitch
• it’s not just my mother

@Rachie1973 Yes they might see it as quality over quantity but the division isn't just about them is it? I would peob be fine and recover well from covid19 but im totally changing my life and follow the rules to protect others and the nhs. Whay does being old mean you can be totally selfish???

"My own mother is very much the opposite. 81, incredibly fit with no health issues whatsoever and I really hope her case would be considered on its merits as she would want it to be."

Her merit is that she is too old to save if her infection was serious, no other aspect is relevant. She has a 20% chance of dying if infected.

@pollyglot - in what way have you any connection to the kinds of parents being discussed? Did you expect a “well done, aren’t you marvellous”?

Whooaahhh... It was purely a reaction to the suggestion that old people should have their pensions cut and that they are apparently almost invariably selfish. Nope. There are, I repeat, some who are socially responsible.

It’s driving me mad. Parents in late 70s, paying lip service to the bits they’re sort of OK with (they’re getting online groceries) but obviously none of the advice applies to them when it comes to meeting up with friends. I understand how difficult it must be for them, but

And further, I have been commuting weekly to a big city 200 miles away to cover the shortage in my specialty. Not now. I love the shops, theatre, museums, lectures at the Uni, visiting my friends. I was going to Sydney this week to see my granddaughter, (booked long ago), but cancelled. I'm not travelling south for my grandson's birthday on the weekend.
Bad luck about your mother. Mine would have been the same but she died 3 months ago.

Clearly the data from Italy says it’s to do with age

Typical boomer attitude. It's all about them. Me me me. So selfish. The first to start hollering if they get ill.

Forwarded a message to my mother about how if the Elderly were unable to get things, that they could go to customer services at Asda and ask there as they were keeping stuff for the elderly... she said it was most commendable but she didn't class herself in that category... being 78 herself and my father 82!!!
Today she says that the mortality rate is only 1%- and says that if she were making the decision to have an operation, that 99% success rate is good, so she may as well go out and catch it!! Oh my days... if this virus doesn't do her in, her bloody mindedness might!!

Typical boomer attitude. It's all about them. Me me me. So selfish. The first to start hollering if they get ill.

Q.E.D.

Typical boomer attitude. It's all about them. Me me me. So selfish. The first to start hollering if they get ill

Care to elucidate? That’s just a meaningless explosion of anger.

My 76 year old dad (had a stroke 6 months ago) was until yesterday. Excuses like - well the cafe is still open so must be fine. Jim is still out and about etc. We all spoke to him and said to do it for a month and then in a month we either admit he was right and it is all a storm in a teacup or that we were right and he is thankful he hasn’t caught it and will continue the self isolation. Sadly I think we will be right :-(. Then today I spoke to two of my girlfriends who have it. Both mid 30s and fit and and super healthy. They are struggling to talk and breathe. It really scared me to speak to them. Phoned my parents and told them. They are starting to accept isolation.