It's already depressing me

newatthis
I do hope your DD is ok when the time comes and that her baby is born safely and that she has plenty of support.
It’s a worry at the best of times.
Will you be able to rebook your flight for later in the year? We should have been going to Virginia in April to see DS and family, but United Airlines will allow us to defer the booking.

I am scrolling through this in bed, with what I think is shingles! I should get checked by the doc but can’t face it really. I have a painful herpes looking rash on one side of my face, and feel under the weather and exhausted. Can’t believe it!Anyway, our mental health is really something to be looked after over the coming months. We will have to draw on all our resources to stay positive. It is hard. My son has a wedding planned for May....and an expensive holiday afterwards....he only realised at the weekend that the chances are, their insurances won’t cover either of them.? But....we must count our blessings....the sun is shining and life’s pleasures are often the simple ones. Taking each day at a time and focusing on the present moment, has to be the way to go.?

Bluecat That is about most sensible and measured post I have read yet!

Our local church is organising phone calls (phone tree) for its older members (most of us) and a retirement group I belong to is thinking of doing the same.

My sister told this morning that she had a dream last night that I had been isolated for four months (not her: she is a good deal younger). At the end of the ‘house arrest’ she came to see me and found me with hair to my waist, long curly fingernails and a garden worthy of the RHS.

Don't do social distancing - isolate. This thing is truly horrible and we have no resistance to it. It may cause minor symptoms in most people but when the cases are serious, the effects on the body are awful. We have to do all we can to protect ourselves and others. After all, the experts disagree amongst themselves but they all agree that being old is the thing that puts us most at risk. We have got to be prepared to change our ways.

What is 4 months in the grand scheme of things? If you take steps now, you are much more likely to be there for your children and grandchildren in the future.

Don't wait until you are feeling poorly to isolate yourself. The idea is to not get ill in the first place.

As for carrying on socialising, it is a very bad idea - particularly anything involving other old people. Not only are you putting yourself at risk, you may be spreading it to others whose immune system is weaker than yours and who may have health issues that you don't know about. It is selfish to put people at risk when you don't need to.

Sad to report that if the country goes onto lockdown and they follow the measures that other countries have, walks other than go into food store, doctors or place of work will be against emergency law and anyone found out of their home with no reason other than going for a stroll will be heavily fined. I have friends in Spain, Lanzarote, Maderia and Malta and this is what is happening there. Also against the law now to visit friends and neighbours
This is real not scaremongering and I think you are right, mental toll will be high and not just amongst us I'm isolation old crocks.

Getting very depressed. My daughter, who lives 5500 miles away is due to give birth by cesarean very soon. I had booked flights to go and help as she almost died last time after a very traumatic birth of her toddler and was very ill afterwards, . She is not well at the moment. I had booked flights, ready to go, but not cannot enter that country. I'm very, very worried.

Because my immune system is vulnerable and I have several underlying health problems (including breathing difficulties) my better half is more worried about infecting me than he is about himself. This thread has prompted me to remember to check on my neighbour though - she is a few years older than me and when I spoke to her a couple of days ago she was having trouble getting a new inhaler (can't remember why to be honest, or maybe she didn't volunteer that info or I didn't pry - I have the memory of a goldfish!) - I know you are not meant to 'share' prescribed medicines, but I know I have a new spare of the exact one she is usually prescribed so if she needs it she's welcome - I know how horrible it is to fight for breath and how fearful wondering if it will be your last fight it is, so won't leave her without if I can help. Does make me wonder if medicines like inhalers will become as hard to get as loo rolls etc (anxiety with a smattering of sarcasm!)

I've been pretty good at learning to spend a lot of time alone and while I can't do as much as I'd like to be able to do I will find things to occupy my time. I wish I could have a thorough spring clean and go nuts on decorating, gardening etc but that's more wishful thinking. Instead I'll enter lots of competitions, watch too much crap on TV, watch a few DVD's I keep meaning to watch and never get around to, keep my brain ticking with puzzle books, dip into my rather large 'personal library', dig out that adult colouring book I won last year and filed in a box somewhere, and think about ways I might be able to help others even from my sofa/bed - know from experience that sometimes even a few comforting words, bit of encouragement, couple of minutes company etc can be useful and good for someone's frame of mind. I do worry that mental health will suffer for a lot of people and deteriorate further for those already struggling. Gransnet has been a generally supportive community for many years and times like this I hope we can look out for each other, prop up those in need, offer useful advice etc.

PauliLenney I’m glad you have only mild symptoms but let’s not forget that it’s not like that for everyone. Even younger people can become very ill indeed. What worries me is thought of me or MrA being on a respirator in hospital (provided the NHS could treat us of course), all alone and unable to have visits from our nearest & dearest.

MerylStreep I completely agree with you. Surely now is the time we should be counting our blessings - at least we’re still here and I imagine the majority of us are fortunate enough to have reasonably comfortable and pleasant homes to be in. I’m reminded of the favourite sayings of the mother of one of my dear friends.
‘Enjoy every minute, it will never come again.’
I realised today that email and text messages had taken over as my preferred means of communication, when I phoned my friend to suggest that we should forgo our lunch out together on Thursday. It was supposed to have been her birthday present.
We were on the phone for half an hour, not the same as a face-to-face natter, but nearly as good.
I think people who aren’t already suffering loneliness & isolation needn’t feel that now, just because of the virus. There are plenty of ways to keep in touch with friends.

Did anyone else see Kelvin McKenzie's outburst? www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1252705/GMB-Piers-Morgan-Susanna-Reid-coronavirus-news-Kelvin-McKenzie-China-ITV-video

Buddly Hi! I'm 30km North of Rome. When I saw you are in Lombardy my heart went out to you.

My husband and I are both in mid seventies. Daughter with three very small children in different comune (where there are CV cases) so cannot visit.

Not complaining though.

Let's keep in touch. Will send you a private message.

eazybee and Grandma70s Very good posts - I totally agree.

I too am depressed and/or anxious - would not be so bad for a month or even two but 4 months!!!! Will we all be sane by then? Glad I found this website -don't feel I am in this quite on my own any more.{smile]

Granny activist, thank you for that link which I shall certainly look into. And of course we have our forums here. Pantglas2, I know what you mean, and I got quite excited yesterday thinking about what I intend to do! I think the worst thing will be lack of real face-to-face contact, but there's always face time. We are so, so lucky these days with all the technology we have at our fingertips. One thing that does worry me though is how I will get my hair cut! It grows so quickly I'll look like goodness knows what! But then again, nobody will see me ???. As someone has already said, though - the most important thing is to keep busy and change every negative thought into a positive one whenever you can x

I’m right in the thick of it in Lombardy,Italy.
We have been asked to stay in except for food or medicinal reasons. Newsagents are also open. You are allowed to take your dog out but not too far from home. Seeing the state of the hospitals here now and the incredible job the doctors and nurses are doing it doesn’t seem much to ask to stay inside. 4 months does sound a lot though hope it doesn’t come to that here. Today is the first day with less admissions to intensive care...only 1 less but it’s a start hopefully.
Saw on twitter yesterday ‘ grandparents were asked to go to war for their country, we’re only being asked to sit on the settee and watch tv’ so not so bad.
Giulia where are you ?

I have the CV at the moment (62 and in great health) . I’m really fine. My husband (63) a bit more challenged as he has MS but he too is getting through it. We are estimating a full return to health by the end of this week.
So what happens next for us? Hardly any point in remaining in isolation on a vague idea that ‘we might get it again’.

My friend and I discussed this yesterday. We are both 71, live alone, very fit and healthy and do a lot of socialising with each other and with others. We are going to continue with our morning exercise classes, albeit alone in our sitting rooms, we both have gardens that we will be able to spend lots of time in. Her sequence dance classes are being posted online, as are my Linedancing classes. We will FaceTime each other and our families and will catch up on paperwork, decorating, sewing and knitting. I’m not looking forward to it, but feel better for having a plan.

I live in the states and so far there have been
58 cases of the virus in just my state. I understand what has been said here about isolation and loneliness. Mom is 91 and I can’t see her. The one thing that is keeping me going is that I have chores and hobbies to do. But thinking of how good I have it compared to the poor and people of the Holocaust who suffered , I won’t complain. I have food to keep me from hunger and a warm safe house. Although scared, I am thankful.

There is a great deal of generally disparaging talk about 'only' children, but facing the possibility of being walled-up for four months, the advantages come into their own. I enjoy my own company and am resourceful at /occupying entertaining myself, and although I don't welcome the prospect of self-isolation it doesn't fill me with gloom.

No Whitewavemark2,thats a moneytree

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN7LG4lKgY8&feature=youtu.be

This might be helpful?

I don't think a re run of " people have it much worse than you" is really doing much right now.

Well said Thecatshatontgemat
And think how much luckier we are now if we have to self isolate than we would have been years ago - no TV, no internet, no facetime or skype......

If you have the Internet, television, radio, telephone and above all books, there is no reason to be bored indoors. I’ve been in this situation for a very long time, with family 200 miles away. I am hardly ever bored.

I’m glad I live on my own, though. Being incarcerated with someone else, however nice, would be much more irritating!

I m sure you will be fine going for walks. I live on the coast and walked my dgs down to our local harbour earlier.
So many.of us have family dependent upon us for childcare and I don t see a way around it.
I plan to carry on as normal and hope for the best.

Anniebach Your granddaughter would still be allowed to come to you, I'm sure. I'm living in lockdown in Italy and "care of a relative" is a valid motive for circulating.