{"id":197762,"date":"2021-03-09T18:01:20","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T15:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/for-seniors-its-a-double-pandemic-covid-19-and-crushing-isolation\/"},"modified":"2021-03-09T18:01:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T15:01:20","slug":"for-seniors-its-a-double-pandemic-covid-19-and-crushing-isolation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/for-seniors-its-a-double-pandemic-covid-19-and-crushing-isolation\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n  For seniors, it\u2019s a double pandemic \u2014 COVID-19 and crushing isolation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4e091aa4ca8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4e091aa4ca8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/for-seniors-its-a-double-pandemic-covid-19-and-crushing-isolation\/#Tips_on_how_to_weather_the_storm\" >Tips on how to weather the storm<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/for-seniors-its-a-double-pandemic-covid-19-and-crushing-isolation\/#Paul_Brandus\" >Paul Brandus<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#<br \/>\n  For seniors, it\u2019s a double pandemic \u2014 COVID-19 and crushing isolation<br \/>\n<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_on_how_to_weather_the_storm\"><\/span>\n  Tips on how to weather the storm<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"5083E730-7F70-11EB-BF43-4BB422F71AA1\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Seniors today are dealing with not one, but two pandemics. Both have proven to be major killers. <\/p>\n<p> COVID-19 of course, has swept through nursing homes and retirement communities with a vengeance in the past year; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the vast majority of the 520,000 Americans who have succumbed to the virus have been older. We can be thankful that vaccines <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear to be turning the tide. <\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetMediaVideo\n              \n              \n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetMediaVideo\n              article__inset--\n  \"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"media-object-video article__inset__video media-object-video--standard\">\n<div class=\"wsj-media-summary clearfix\">\n<div class=\"strap-container\">\n<h4 class=\"strap\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<\/h4><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"video-container article__inset__video__player\" id=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/61AD778B-C50D-4EC0-A82F-2942D613BC47\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/61AD778B-C50D-4EC0-A82F-2942D613BC47\" data-format=\"standard\" data-esplash=\"\" data-msplash=\"\" data-suppressheadline=\"\" data-verticalstill=\"\">\n  <\/div><figcaption class=\"wsj-article-caption article__inset__video__caption\">\n          80% of older Americans can&#8217;t afford to retire &#8211; COVID-19 isn&#8217;t helping<br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>       Read more COVID-19 coverage<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       But the other killer is perhaps even more lethal and has proven to be quite long-lasting, and that is the toll that <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> isolation continues to take on seniors.<\/p>\n<p>Social isolation has been linked, in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/heart.bmj.com\/content\/102\/13\/987\" class=\"icon none\">study after study<\/a>, with all sorts of major health problems, including heart disease, obesity, depression, and faster cognitive decline. Some research has even <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosmedicine\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pmed.1000316\" class=\"icon none\">likened the health effects of isolation<\/a> with smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. <\/p>\n<p>Nearly one-third of seniors \u2014 nearly 14 million people \u2014 live by themselves, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Certainly many of these folks aren\u2019t \u201cisolated\u201d in the sense that they can connect with family and friends on Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or the old-fashioned phone. But many unquestionably are isolated. Meantime, Margaret Manning, founder of SixtyandMe.com, an online support group that claims to represent 500,000 women over the age of 60, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sixtyandme.com\/dealing-with-loneliness-after-50-sixty-and-me-research-survey-results\/\" class=\"icon none\">found in a survey<\/a> that \u201c75% of (respondents) said that they felt lonely. The majority said that they found themselves without someone to talk to at least sometimes.\u201d And, Manning added in a blog post, 81% said that they sometimes or often have no one to talk to. <\/p>\n<p>Ominously, the survey was completed before the pandemic, which implies that feelings of loneliness and isolation are deeper than ever\u2014with the resulting health problems. It was one year ago, after all, that the CDC urged seniors to stay home and interact with as few people as possible. It\u2019s hard to gauge the health impact of missing out on simple joys\u2014hugging a grandchild, blowing out candles on a birthday cake or meeting a friend for coffee\u2014but my guess is that it\u2019s not insignificant.<\/p>\n<p>Isolation also appears to have been an accelerant for Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia deaths, which are up 16% over the past year, according to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/alzheimers-dementia\/facts-figures\" class=\"icon none\">Alzheimer\u2019s Association<\/a>. It adds: \u201cOne in three seniors dies with Alzheimer\u2019s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The pandemic will end at some point\u2014some two million <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2021\/03\/04\/world\/covid-19-coronavirus\" class=\"icon none\">vaccines are now being administered daily<\/a>\u2014but health experts warn against complacency and say seniors should continue to be cautious. This means the isolation that has been so crushing for so many will continue. <\/p>\n<p>But there are things that can be done to ease loneliness. Sue Johansen, senior vice president, at A Place for Mom, a senior living advisory service, offers some creative ideas. <\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>People can \u201cplay <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s together, like online chess or scrabble,\u201d she offers. Parade magazine just <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/1012420\/nicolepajer\/best-online-games\/\" class=\"icon none\">ran this great list<\/a> of 35 games to choose from. <\/p>\n<p>Sharing memories through photos. Seniors can ask family members to send pictures via email or snail mail.<\/p>\n<p>Exploring keepsakes and heirloom treasures. \u201cSocial isolation has given seniors plenty of time to clean out closets and attics of keepsakes,\u201d Johansen points out. \u201cGet the family together to look through photo albums and old treasures on Zoom, and see what stories and memories they inspire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s an idea I never would have thought of. Why not a virtual \u201cmovie night?\u201d Johansen asks. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/21295526\/how-to-watch-movies-with-friends-together-online-netflix-party-hulu-squad-disney-plus-watch2gether\" class=\"icon none\">Here\u2019s how to do it<\/a> \u2014 the biggest problem here may be agreeing on something that everyone wants to watch. <\/p>\n<p>Meantime, what about exercise? <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/seniorplanet.org\/virtual-fitness-wellness-events\/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyoeCBhCTARIsAOfpKxi--mxVDoN1LxuTZbjBa6TX7HJRC1tKjjR-4QaHQ1tl0PLpdxe6mzcaAp79EALw_wcB\" class=\"icon none\">AARP\u2019s \u201cSenior Planet\u201d offers all sorts of live classes<\/a>; as I write today there\u2019s a \u201cMorning Stretch\u201d class going on and later \u201cTai Chi.\u201d My 84-year old mom has used the pandemic to take up Tai Chi\u2014a low-impact, slow-moving <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of gentle exercises and stretching\u2014and swears by it. The Mayo Clinic calls it \u201cmeditation in motion,\u201d which sounds like a good way to stay fit and ease stress. You can try it out from the comfort of your living room. <\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a senior, a relative or a caregiver, what advice do you have for coping with this double pandemic? Let me know and I may share it with others: RetireBetterMarketWatch@gmail.com.<\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetCommentingPromo\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetCommentingPromo\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>      <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Paul Brandus\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paul_Brandus\"><\/span>Paul Brandus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B5083E730-7F70-11EB-BF43-4BB422F71AA1%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# For seniors, it\u2019s a double pandemic \u2014 COVID-19 and crushing isolation &#8221; Tips on how to weather the storm Seniors today are dealing with not one, but two pandemics. Both have proven to be major killers. COVID-19 of course, has swept through nursing homes and retirement communities with a vengeance in the past year;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":197763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-197762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}