Should we ask over 60s to stay in?

No, No and No again! I am 71 and have no intention of staying in. I am abiding by all the regulations but I am still going out to shop and walk. If I was forced to stay in it would drive me mad. I think it is personal choice and I am not wasting the last years of my life staying in to watch daytime TV!

I am 65, took early retirement at 50 so no job to worry about.

I only go out when necessary, local shops mostly rather than big supermarkets. I don't go to pubs or eat out. However I'm missing my friends as most groups no longer meet

During the 1st lockdown I was doing my neighbour's shopping, she is 75, after about 12 weeks she started coming out with me. I can't see her taking kindly to having to stay indoors again, I would be worried about her mental health.

I take sensible precautions, mask, hand sanitizer & frequent hand washing.

Since lockdown started in March I have had frequent Hospital/GP Appointments, all conducted with temperature checks (non of my health problems are Covid related). My Mum is 91 & I've had to make 2 x 600 mile round trips to sort out her affairs whilst she was in Hospital, I couldn't visit her in Hospital so I haven't seen her since January. Now she's home I can't visit as she's in a Tier 3 .

I live in area which is Tier 1, I will obey the rules. I do object to older people being forced into isolating & worry what that is doing to their mental health

No, make your own choice

I'm 60 and looking after parents 87 and 90 and a grandchild occasionally whilst parents work!

If women had still been able to claim state pension at 60, many could, if they chose to, look after relatives in their own homes instead of them going into care. Also helped with childcare if they chose to do so. All of which would have saved our taxpayers money and possibly lives too. If only .....

over 60s are disproportionately responsible for high hospital admissions currently.

When you say disproportionately, what do you mean, exactly? How disproportionately, for example?

People who are ill are not necessarily "responsible" for being ill. Sometimes illness is just bad luck. When I had measles as a child, was I "responsible" for catching it?

Certainly not.

Maybe over 70’s, but not 60.

And only if I felt i was in a highly infected area.
Which I’m not, so far.

I work in a residential care home - many of our staff are over 60 and we all worked through the last lockdown. Goodness knows what would happen to our poor residents if this was brought in

There would be a lot of NHS workers staying at home!

What about those of us who are still working because we won't get the state pension until 66?

Absolutely not. Why??
As long as you mask up & use a bit of common sense I see no reason why anyone should have to stay indoors.
I need to shop. I do a distanced dance class & I went out with a friend for coffee yesterday-it was warm so we sat outside well distanced & there was no risk.
I think we need to weigh the risks of carrying on as long as we are careful against the risk of getting depressed & lonely.
I understand the mental health practitioners are totally over whelmed.

It ain’t going to happen, why are you all getting in a lather about it?

No one should be asked to do something against their will.

Absolutely not. I’m 70 and very healthy. Help with child care when required and help friends when necessary.
I don’t take risks or do anything silly but if I was confined to the house with someone I don’t get on with 24/7 I might as well end it all now.
Today I met a friend in a coffee shop who is younger than me but in worse health.
It’s not always to do with age.

My friends and I are all taking care of grandchildren so that their parents can work and make enough to get by. We're all over 70 and are an essential part of our children's means of earning a living.

kittylester

Just that really. I think so.

People have enough on their plates Kitty without you upsetting over 60's. What a stupid question.

They don't need to be asked to stay in. All the people I know who are in any way vulnerable whether through age, weight, or otherwise are already staying in.

Sawsage2

kittylester
Just that really. I think so.
People have enough on their plates Kitty without you upsetting over 60's. What a stupid question.

Finally another sensible poster - I feel like starting a thread asking if over 63 year olds should be told to eat sausages on Tuesdays. Sadly too many posters on GN think that when a thread like this is started, it’s a genuine issue. It isn’t - it’s complete GFery tommyrot

I worked till I was 66 also looking after GCs till I was 72. It would not be practicable for over 60s to stay in.
As hospital admissions seem higher in the over 60s it is a good idea to take extra care in that group.

People in care homes in the last peak did not go out and we all know the situation there. I think that currently the vast majority of the older population are being especially careful. I know someone locally who was infected in hospital, discharged and passed it onto their partner. They didn't actually go anywhere.

We have to remember that most people in care homes are 80 plus, and some 90 plus. Of course there are some who are not that old, but it’s not the majority. In all fairness, it’s hardly a surprise if someone over 80 dies of anything, let alone Coronavirus. The average age of a person who died of Covid was 82. The media made very sure that we all knew about the unfortunate ones who were younger, and managed to scare us all half to death. However, what we must remember is that if we follow the rules and guidelines we stand a very good chance of coming through unscathed. Especially if we live in Tier One. As the tiers rise, so must the precautions. If I lived in Tier Three I would curtail my activities in line with that.

You can ask all you like. It ain't gonna happen. I've got a life to live!

I have a small business and normally would be working full time. I am 66. Why would I stay in? I can't afford to give up work as I have no pension apart from the old age one.
I have a very dear friend who has not been out and about since March, he is 70 and fit and healthy. His choice but not mine.

Yes, probably they should. Certainly the over-65s should, and the older you get, the stronger the case for limiting interaction becomes.

This isn't a matter of discrimination. It isn't about the fact that you don't think that 60 (or 70 or 80) is old. It's not about you being very fit when you're 75 or being able to jog when you are 80. It's about your biology and you can't do anything about it.

The older you are, the more likely you are to have co-morbidities. Maybe you don't even know about them. Even if you think that you are in perfect health, you are much more likely than a young person to have an undiagnosed health condition. This may put you at greater risk. But the big, inescapable fact is that your immune system is as old as you are. The older you get, the less effective it is. The less effective it is, the more likely it is that, if you catch it, the virus will invade your organs and you will die.

So do your best to avoid catching it.

Even if you are ready to die at some point soon, and you are prepared to expire alone on a ventilator, what about your loved ones? If you have a spouse, will you risk passing it to them and killing them too? If you have children and grandchildren, are you ready to leave them? Do you want them to grieve, because you weren't prepared to limit your life for a while? And what about the burden on the NHS? And the risk to the medical staff? Do you want to add to that?

I think that anyone who can stay inside should stay inside. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for other people.