Seniors In Quarantine

How the elderly are making the most out of this lockdown

- Dulce Panela Abutal

An unprecedented enhanced community quarantine is now being enforced in the whole of Luzon, due to the pandemic that is Covid-19. The goal is to hold off human-to-human transmissions of the virus and the disease for the longest possible time, as no cure or vaccine for it has been developed yet.

This quarantine is for the young and the old alike. But since older or senior citizens are found to be the most vulnerable, concern for their protection against the disease is higher. Everyone must remain at home, more so the seniors, because of their risks.

We wonder how our senior citizens are responding to this imposed quarantine and its corresponding restrictions. They are accustomed to using their privileges and discounts in establishments where access is being made very limited now, if not denied altogether. Social distancing is in, and family and social gatherings are out for the meantime, even in places of prayer and worship. How are the seniors spending their time in quarantine? More important, are they following the directive to stay at home?

We were able to do online interviews with senior citizens and the children of senior citizens in my contacts list to get answers to my questions. We know that my sample size is small and the quarantine has only been for a few days, but here is what I found.