How Many Dead Bodies Haven't They Found Yet?

[MysticMeghan]

We hear all the time about people not wanting to "bother the NHS" because their symptoms are quite mild and we've all been told to wait it out at home and only spend 3 hours on hold to 111 if we are turning blue from lack of oxygen.

Seeing as we've all been self isolating for best part of 7 weeks and no-one's been round, it occurred to me that stories of European Care Homes full of dead bodies because all the staff are ill or have scarpered may not be the half of it. How many single people or entire families might have perished and no-one knows?

I know this sounds like a bad horror movie but not everyone has relatives skyping them every day to make sure they're ok.

28,446 may not be the half of it....

I was thinking about this the other day. My mum is in her 70s, lives alone in a big detached property with a large garden, not overlooked. It would be very easy for people to fail to notice if something happened to her. I text her every day at least once, but had a nasty moment last week when I realised it was Fri and she had last answered a message on the Tues.

Tbh not so worried about covid but more about falls etc.

I make sure to try and catch my 84yo NDN every other day and will knock on her door if I don't see her in the garden for a couple of days, for this reason.

Yes, this worries me. Not because I think it's going to be something that happens to a large number of people, but just because it's so horrible and sad for it to happen to any number.

It was one of the reasons we were have been told by our school head that we must take online registration at the start of each day and contact home if a child is not online for 2 consecutive days - apparently in China there was a case where two small children were found at home where their mother had been dead for over a week. Horrifying.

Our street has a WA group, it’s come to light there’s 2 elderly people living alone, one with Dementia, who have no family at all. We make sure someone checks every day they’re ok.

I think they’ll find people who haven’t died from Covid through suicide Or domestic violence.

Being too breathless to communicate in an emergency is the only thing that makes me anxious about catching this disease, but to be honest a similar situation could happen to any single person even under normal circumstances. I realised after I retired (and I don’t regard myself as elderly) that while I was working, if I didn’t turn up to work someone would probably raise the alarm on the same day. Now, I take part in a number of activities but they are fairly informal so if I didn’t turn up then people would probably just assume I was doing something else and had forgotten to mention that I wouldn’t be there. I’ve plenty of friends, but the amount of times we’re in contact varies - one week it might be every other day, other weeks could be only once if we’re all doing our own thing.

I've been thinking about this for a while. Thankfully I'm at very low risk of sudden random death, but I live alone, and while my friends and family would notice if I stopped answering messages and calls it would probably take a few days before they got worried enough to check on me. How many people don't have that level of contact, or aren't very good at replying to messages anyway and wouldn't be missed for a longer period?

However, for people in that situation I think this is a risk at any time, not just right now. People who are very isolated are more likely to be elderly and ill, and probably aren't the most proactive anyway about seeking medical treatment for early symptoms of serious problems And as a PP said, people with such low social contact are probably at minimal risk of catching a contagious disease - other problems like heart attacks or strokes are more likely to be an issue.

It can also happen even to people who aren't particularly isolated. Years ago a friend of a friend disappeared from the student house she lived in for the best part of a week, and her housemates assumed she'd gone home without telling them, but in fact she was unconscious in her room with sepsis Thankfully she made a full recovery, but it could easily have been so much worse.

I was thinking about this sad fact today so many elderly and vulnerable people live alone. And young people with no family

I'd say half a million, for sure. This pandemic is truly terrifying. Oh God the end is nigh.
Not
Get a grip

It’s a sobering thought but hopefully @megletthesecond has a point.

The housing association is calling tenants and if they can't make contact by phone they are knocking peoples doors. They have called me twice now to ask if my household is ok and if I have any concerns about the neighbours.

@BlueBrian yes, all the lockdowns in other countries are just a ploy to avoid international scrutiny

There always are sadly, people who die alone and undiscovered for a while. There is a chance that this could increase.

@MrsFezziwig- I think from your post you live alone? Not CV related the handwringing on this thread is ridiculous but it’s a good idea to have a daily check in with someone. My mil texts me every morning and I check my more resistant elderly aunts wassap status daily and call her every other day.

www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/01/dead-spanish-man-undiscovered-home

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1197314/Woman-85-lay-dead-flat-years-noticed-missing.html

grim talk

@BlueBrian

Would you please just give it a rest.

in the real world the help for vulnerable people is a shambles, with no contact being made, food supplies not turning up as promised, and minimal to non existent support being offered

This.

As my DB and DBIL work in care homes, and several elderly relatives are cared for in different homes in diffferent areas:
Could you please link to the source of your information on "European Care Homes full of dead bodies because all the staff are ill or have scarpered"?

We expect to find none around here, as we check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours!
It is not hard, all you do is knock on the door (with gloves) stand back and check they are okay, chat for five minutes, and leave.

So instead of imagining, like the grim reaper, how many are lying dead in their houses, make a blinking list of everyone you can help!!!!! And everyone should be doing this. Do your bit, and we won't have anything to find but our community spirit.

Its seriously disturbing and grisly to be guessing as you are doing now, seemingly without any real concept that all of us can change it, today.

Can I also say some of our high risk and shielding family members have been amazed at the incredible food boxes that arrive for them every week, completely free of charge, and covers the whole family not just the shielded person, they are also called a few times a week to see how they are managing and if they need anything.
They also have a contact number to ring if there are concerned. They have been updated and looked after exceptionally well. My cousin cried when it arrived on the first week because she felt truly cared for by society.

What a horrible thought

Given the high profile of Covid, and the way people have generally checked in their vulnerable neighbours more than usual at this time, I am hopeful it’s less of an issue than it is ordinarily. My great aunt who lives alone a 100 miles away has had neighbours call more than once a day to see she’s ok - much more often than normally. I’ve been much more diligent on checking on my elderly neighbour too. Also Covid isn’t like a heart attack, stroke or fall... it doesn’t just “happen” so people generally have a chance to seek help.

@Biscuit0110 Nice piece of propaganda there, did Tory central office tell you to post that load of BS.