#Protect the Elders – she

The best thing that came out of what was scary for me so far is our family unit, which came together in a group text message.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself in a glass cabinet with emotions in the style of Anchor Man at this truly amazing time in the world because of COVID-19. I either laugh at ridiculous memes or take it quite seriously and listen to every piece of information that comes in the news and then wonders what is the right information and what is wrong. I was really struck by the fact that this virus will enter and attack our most vulnerable, those who are 65+. All I can think of is all my friends and loved ones of this age, especially my Nana, who will be isolated at home … lonely, perhaps scared and unaware of her future.

We decided with the whole family, against her will, I can add that Nana, she is 85 years old, you need to stay home all the time and not contact anyone. Some of you may remember a previous article I wrote about my Nanna Trell a couple of years ago … Nanna fought for her life against a serious cancer case and won, and we will NOT allow COVID-19 to pick her up after that. She didn’t like us telling her what to do, and we used intimidation tactics to get her to stay behind closed doors, which only works because she’s the most stubborn of Nanna you’ve ever met. She has her own Instagram page, and it’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen, the best thing that comes out of it is her comments on all our posts … she says she wants when she wants, and she doesn’t gives any care in the world! Cancer taught her to be true to herself, and then she added audacity.

The only thing we didn’t think about forcing her to shut up was the isolation and loneliness it would create for her. Nana would like to visit one of us at least every other day, and she would get in touch with a person at least once a day from someone somewhere …! But because we put her under house arrest, we made her lonely and isolated. So the best thing we did was create a family text message that had literally 15 people … and it turned into the best chat you’ve ever seen. It turned into “Nana’s Tips” – first my sister asked in a group chat how to choose the best avocado that Nana texted – “Hold it in your hand, squeeze it, see that it is soft, otherwise just leave it. Put a banana next to it, it will ripen ”. * MIND BLOWN * Next was a discussion about whether to add syrup or rice malt to Anzac cookies, to which she quickly responded with “syrups”, but I have some of them, so don’t buy them … you need to remind her that we can’t come and get it because she’s in isolation and it doesn’t give a purpose. It will be slow and steady if Nana lets her know what isolation is, but participating in group messaging on a cell phone has given it new meaning.

“Nanny’s Tips” for our help. We will be able to test her, tell her about her movements around the world and what is real and fake news … for her it is important because she is used to watching so much news and listening to the radio on the air. really gets ambiguous information. We can also stay up to date on how she lives in the family that she needs and then work in a team to make sure she always gets what she needs without leaving home. We talked about voting and how it would work for her now because we don’t want her to leave the house and she missed the voting by mail cut off … Nana’s comments about voting … she’s happy not to vote and fine instead of possible Infection COVID-19… “Fuck! I would be better off fine, there will be a bunch of others in the same boat ”. Nana Trell always tells how it is! We can also ask the ingredients of her secret recipe and she gives them away …!

If you haven’t already, isolate your loved ones over 70, set up a group family chat to make sure they know they’re not alone, and can ask for anything they need, as well as keep them up to date. .not BS media circulating and scaring them to hell! Although, like, I want Nana to get scared and stay home … so I run down that from time to time.

I guess the point of my story and chatter is that … take care of the elders … check on your older neighbors to see if they need anything next time you go to the grocery store? Prepare extra food and serve it to them. Get them on the phone at least once a week. Put the letter in their inbox, giving them your details if they need anything at this time. They have given us so much and so much left to give. They need our support now more than ever, they have not finished their time here, and we owe them!

And while I’m on this high horse looking after people, take care of yourself. Don’t be arrogant, because everything has changed dramatically in our society, and from now on life will be different forever. More than ever, it’s time to protect our thoughts, hearts and stay truly kind to each other. In doing so, make sure we can drink a glass of wine if we need to, while highlighting your brother who still can’t kill a spider without screaming! (A regular Snapchat video I get from my daughter-in-law). At this time of mass communication, try to feed your brain with good news that will make you smile … give it a go! Read SheSociety .. ha! I found that the memes below really bring a smile to the dial when accidentally freaked out at 6am before turning on the news. Share the love…

While we share LOVE … Do you have a loved one who needs to learn how to use FaceTime during this period of isolation? Here is a very simple infographic that you can send them to help them survive the digital age we are in! It’s also on our social media channels, so check out those who need a quick course!

SheSociety is a site for Australian women where you can share your stories, experiences, common skills and communication opportunities.