![]() “Keeping informed and aware of trends with the virus is important to me,” she told Healthline. The new normal could well include assessing the risk of any activity before engaging - weighing the benefits of social interaction against the chance of developing COVID-19.Īrlene, 64, a career transition services manager, is considering restarting life as the pandemic threat seems less prominent. We had our meeting room and outside of that space, I wore my mask, although no one else in the area did so.” “I attended a high school reunion in Maryland with a small group, all vaccinated. “I did do one risky thing last summer,” she said. I go grocery shopping, but only when the stores are not busy.” “I’m not ready to go to the movies or other indoor activities where there will be many unmasked people. “I’ll continue to meet vaccinated friends outdoors, weather permitting,” she told Healthline. Still, as warmer weather comes again and the Omicron surge ends, I think I’ll find that balance,” Joyce said.Īlice, 85, a retired visual resources librarian and current photographer and writer, expects to remain cautious. The pandemic has been too much solitude, and I’d like a better balance between alone-time and seeing people. When I was working, I longed for solitude. “I am a writer, and writing is a solitary occupation. “Maybe it’s because I’m OK in solitude if there are breaks from it now and then.” “While I’d like to get out and have fun, I’m not willing to take too much of a risk that I’ll get COVID,” she told Healthline. Joyce, 69, a retired professor and current writer of Medieval mystery books, is looking for a balance. Many are willing to venture out again while keeping “the new normal” in mind. ![]() “Everyone she knows has come out of lockdown more diminished. “My mom is 91 now and her mobility is less,” Carol told Healthline. “It feels like 2 years have just been chopped out of our lives and everything was on hold,” said Carol, 63, who just returned from a trip to California with her mother to visit family. They may have felt anger that the pandemic lasted so long, disappointment in missing events such as a grandchild’s birthday, loneliness from social isolation, or sadness for the wasted time they can never get back. “When people start to avoid being in touch, then I become more worried,” she said.Īlthough fear is a major driving force, many older adults have felt a wide range of emotions. Olsen recommends that younger adults watch for signs older adults are withdrawing or shutting down emotionally. “Now, as people face this current surge, it’s as if their well of emotional reserves is being depleted.” “At the beginning of the pandemic, many older adults hunkered down and used a lifetime of coping skills to get through this,” Bonnie Olsen, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, told Kaiser Health News. Now, they face the decision whether to continue to play it safe or to throw a little caution to the wind and try to enjoy the years they have remaining. “If people feel more comfortable wearing masks even when there is no mandate, they should feel free to do so until they feel comfortable in not wearing one,” Wetter said.Ī recent story from Kaiser Health News detailed the anxiety, depression, and other emotions felt by older adults the past 2 years. Wetter, PsyD, FAPA, a diplomat and fellow for the American Psychotherapy Association, told Healthline. “As with all transitions, moving into a post-pandemic lifestyle will take some time to adapt,” Dr. Many have spent the past 2 years at home and still fear the potential effects of the coronavirus because they know someone who was hospitalized for COVID-19 or who died from the disease. These questions can be particularly acute when it comes to the emotional well-being of adults 65 years and older, who tend to be at risk of experiencing severe illness more often. The news does put some people in a quandary about what to do in terms of mask wearing, attending indoor events, and seeing friends again. Mask mandates are also ending at businesses, entertainment venues, and, in some cases, school classrooms. New COVID-19 cases as well as hospitalizations and deaths are on the decline. Glimpses of life after the COVID-19 pandemic are coming into view. Experts say seniors should try to slowly reemerge, perhaps by attending small gatherings at first.Others lament the loss of 2 precious years near the end of their lives.Many older adults are still fearful of the disease and hesitant to jump too quickly back into social life.Experts say some seniors may have difficulties adjusting to a post-COVID world after 2 years of isolation.Share on Pinterest Experts say it may be difficult for some older adults to adjust from 2 years of COVID-19 isolation. ![]()
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