All those who want to lock the elderly down. This is one example why we shouldn't

[HoppingOnSteppingStones]

I hear time and time again. If the elderly or vulnerable were made to stay in then we could live pretty normally. Blah blah

Well one example how this has affected my grandmother.
She had quite low mobility. However would go for a walk to the store maybe twice a week.
She lives in a sheltered accommodation so each evening would walk to the community hall for various things with the other residents, bingo, cards, darts, singing

Lockdown 1. Community room Locked. Chairs in reception removed.
Everything cancelled.

These never re opened. Could have 5 in the room for a chat when restrictions eased but had to be booked.

By Oct they locked it up again and has remained since.

My grandmothers apartment is tiny. Lounge maybe 12 ft x 8 ft.
Kitchen 8 ft x 2.5 ft floor space
Bedroom. Double bed 1 bedside and a wardrobe.

No where to excercise, only excercise she could do anyway was a short walk. Couldn't go to the shop due to shielding.

She now can barely walk at all. The gp and carers have all said this is down to no mobility /lockdown, being stuck in.

Even in the summer when things eased. She struggled to walk to the shared garden but often there was no seat so didn't venture out.

I took her groceries today and chatted through the window, another realitive normally does this but is poorly (non covid)
I've never seen someone who admitted didn't have the best mobility. To be almost crying walking a few foot.

Thesres probably thousands apon thousands more like this.
How is this fair.
In all honesty the last Yr has prob shaved 5 years off her!

I totally agree with you. My mum died in a care home. I saw her once in the final months of her life. She was 85 - i'll never forgive myself

so sorry to hear this op.
my dm had a mobility issue a few years ago but made herself walk every day, she realised that if you dont use it, you lose it,

less walking equals more likely to fall.
wishing all best wishes We will get through this

If she wants to walk and wants to sit, how about something like a roll-top with a seat? One of my neighbours uses one like this. May have to be assessed for one, but mobility aid shops may be open?

@HoppingOnSteppingStones

Your poor grandmother. Can nobody in your family bubble with her? She lives alone so this would be well within the rules.

If she has a bubble, at least she can have some proper social interaction and can be supported to take short walks.

Rollator not roll top!

So sorry for those with elderly relatives who are suffering. I lost my gran three months ago. She was 95 and suffered so much in her last year, due to the restrictions.

The assisted living place where she lived didn't handle things brilliantly in terms of communication. My mum would call to speak to her and if she couldn't get through, the reception staff were unhelpful to the point of obstructive and wouldn't help her reach her. My mum was out of her mind with worry but obviously couldn't just turn up there due to lockdown.

It meant that my gran spent days without contact from our family. Previously, she would speak to a family member most days and see relatives around four times a week. Being apart from family meant that she deteriorated really fast. We all feel that she would still be here if it wasn't for the lockdowns. She lived to a long age and we're all grateful for that, of course. But due to restrictions, most of us didn't get to see her in her final year or even say a proper goodbye which is so upsetting and guilt inducing.

It's all very well the rest of us keeping in touch with zoom and Facetime etc but my gran didn't have any devices and so her contact with the outside world was effectively cut off without warning in March and it had huge consequences for her wellbeing and, ultimately, her overall health.

People saying 'lock down the elderly' just aren't seeing the full picture here.

To the poster who asked what is behind people wanting to sacrifice each other? People with dependents will always put their own families above elderly relatives of others. It’s sad but true. Most people would kill for their own offsprings’ survival. It’s human nature. So if they see a threat to the welfare of their kids than that is what they will do. The older generation will be the obvious choice of sacrifice due to what many view as a life already lived. It’s very sad but I suspect that’s what lies beneath

OP, this happened because we locked down everyone. Not just the elderly. I agree it’s terrible.

DH's grandma had several falls last year because she'd just been sat in her one bedroom flat for months, the paramedics said they were seeing quite a lot of elderly people falling because they had lost what physical condition they had.

She died in December and she had had a rubbish 2020

@trilbydoll - so sorry for your loss. Exactly what happened with my gran - she fell and broke her hip and ended up in hospital. After that, she had minimal mobility. It's heartbreaking and they deserved better. That said, when restrictions were first introduced, my gran was adamant that people follow the rules so the virus didn't spread.

Same with an older friend of mine. Essentially healthy and regularly active before lockdown, now housebound.

Surely within the rules you guys could take her out. Even if it's an open air walk in a wheelchair it might make the world of difference

My parents have definitely declined in their cognitive abilities a well as their physical abilities. It sucks for everyone.

I had a decent amount of fitness but got Covid in March. Together with sitting around it destroyed my body. Back in the summer I started weights with a PT and built up a certain level of fitness, but that all stopped in the November lockdown. I had 3 more weeks of training and then it all stopped again.
I’m now trying to be disciplined and get out for a long walk at lunchtime, but sometimes with work it’s not possible.

What a shitty way to spend the last years of your life, not being able to do anything. Same goes for those with terminal illnesses.

I’m sorry to hear this OP. Elderly people should not be living this way.

However, as others have pointed out, I cannot see how your gran’s situation would be any different if only the elderly/vulnerable were shielded as opposed to everyone being locked down.

Unless you are advocating for no lockdown/shielding at all? I’m not opposed to that by the way. I would have liked to see our elderly treated like adults rather than infantilised the way they have been.

It has been rubbish for everyone. The restrictions have been in place to protect the elderly so I’m not sure what the alternative would be as the risk of getting covid is also significant. There have been times where restrictions have been more relaxed and people allowed to meet up in homes etc.

Could you bubble with her and then go into her home? Would she try a wheelchair? Completely agree about getting rid of benches- seems senseless to me.

Lockdown was for all of us, and all of us are suffering the consequences. I'm glad, like others, that my dear old gran isn't here to go through this. But I don't understand your point about 'wanting to lock down the elderly'. At no point have non shielding elderly people been on higher restrictions than the rest of the population.

I see many elderly people in my job, I was saying last week that even relatively fit mentally alert older people have aged massively over the past year. Mentally slowed through lack of interaction and stimulation, physically weakend through loss of core strength and muscle tone.... to me it is one of the most devastating effects of covid I have seen. I can see how this one year will massively change the quality of the rest of these peoples lives.

My DD is 14 and would walk to school and back (2 miles each way) for her daily fitness. Now she's indoors all the time. By the end of the homeschooling day it's dark and she doesn't fancy a walk. She used to walk with her friends and have a chat, now they use Zoom.

In September I noticed I was gaining weight and eating too much crap so I bought a bike and reduced the junk food. It helped a little, but now its dark and rainy/sleeting the roads are dangerous. I ate a lot of crap over Christmas. I have noticed walking anywhere is a struggle and I'm 43. Also work has cut a lot of my duties so I have less standing, carrying and walking to do. It all adds up.

In both cases we've had to cut a lot of snacks from the shopping list and try and eat lower fat food. But our stamina for exercise is the real concern.

I think the point of the OP is that, on other threads, posted are saying that even those old people who've been vaccinated, shouldn't go out. They seem to want them locked away until every single person is vaccinated, not for their own good, but because "they might still give it to others" or "they make the supermarket more crowded".

The ageism on this site is terrible, and often wrapped up as if it's concern, but actually it's controlling behaviour. The thread about the OP possibly taking her fully vaccinated mum to the shop is a fine example

I don't have any elderly relatives, so don't have first hand experience of these difficulties. It sounds so very upsetting.

This is what I really value about MN - the opportunity to see past the news headlines and understand what is really going on in other people's lives. The poster who mentioned about how something simple like benches being taken away has in fact a catastrophic impact on an elderly person's ability to go out on a walk. I never would have thought about that. I sometimes think that people in power would do well to spend a day on MN reading about this stuff.

@Port1aCastis

It's awful and I just cannot stand those that want to sacrifice other people's relatives to save their own sorry arses Where has humanity gone! What are we doing to each other What is behind this nasty agenda of division and selfishness

This can be read both ways though, sacrifice the elderly in the way OP describes, or sacrifice children's education/worker's jobs to save the elderly. TBF I believe overall it is the children's education/worker's jobs that have been sacrificed - not saying it wasn't necessary - but in terms of impact.

Anyway OP what are you suggesting, no lockdown for anyone?

Personally, if I was in a particularly vulnerable group, I would rather just I shield so that young people could get on the life, not lose jobs etc. I know some elderly also feel that way and are uncomfortable with the price the young are paying to protect them. I realise this is a minority view and you couldn't really lock down just one section of society (besides the fact it would be unworkable) if a majority were against this route and preferred an 'everybody or nobody' approach.

Anyway, back to the OP, what are you actually suggesting, no lockdown at all? If so, fair point, lots of people are against lockdown and are of the view just let covid move though, bury the dead, and get on with life. This would result in tens of thousands more dead though (mostly elderly). Some could argue that a shorter life lived as you please is better than a lockdowned longer life with deteriorating health and no family to hug, I know a 90 year old who thinks just that. Unless you're a covid denier?

If you're just having a moan, then that's perfectly understandable, there are no winners (well, plenty of people have made a fortune out of this) in this and no good options. I hope things improve for all of us soon.

I think the point of the OP is that, on other threads, posted are saying that even those old people who've been vaccinated, shouldn't go out. They seem to want them locked away until every single person is vaccinated, not for their own good, but because "they might still give it to others" or "they make the supermarket more crowded".

What's wrong with that as an opinion? Its unclear if vaccination stops spread (although believed it probably does) so they might well be putting others in danger. If you're against this approach is it some sort of immunity passports you're suggesting? Again, arguments for and against this and also not an unreasonable position.