5 Ways Seniors Can Boost Their Health In Quarantine

People over 60, and especially over 80, are at risk for loneliness and severe infection. Here are some steps they can take to keep themselves healthy

- Paola Navarette

“Trying to preserve some sense of normalcy is important for older people’s well-being,” says Dr. Joy Mercader, a cardiologist at Medical Plaza Makati. Maintaining a routine, she said, like getting up and getting dressed and doing what you usually do, can positively affect mental health. “And being optimistic will be good for your heart,” she says. “Good mental health will also help strengthen your immune system and increase your capacity to combat infection.”

But there’s more to do as the pandemic isolates the elderly. We’ve all read ghastly stories about COVID-positive patients dying alone. Aware that the mortality rate among the elderly is much higher than that of the young, many seniors comply with the physical distancing and quarantine orders, even as they understand that social isolation generates the lethal byproducts of loneliness—depression, sleep disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, and self-harm—particularly for those who don’t have family or neighbors to help with grocery and pharmacy runs.