Elderly people forming COVID pods to prevent isolation this winter

He thinks it should be done as long as people take strict precautions during a coronavirus pandemic.

Given the increased risk of viral infections in indoor spaces, she is not convinced that it is safe.

Both are in a good position to consider the issue. 80-year-old Bethdin was a longtime director of the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Brown University’s Herb Alpert Medical College. His wife, Terry Wettle, 73, was also an aging expert and founding director of the Browns School of Public Health.

“We’re not, but we don’t insist because I respect her hesitation,” Bethdin said.

Elderly people living alone and their partners, healthy elderly people and unhealthy elderly people are chilly day and night, and the number of cases of coronavirus is increasing nationwide, so consider what to do as well. doing.

Some form “bubbles” or “pods”. A small group that agrees to pandemic precautions and meets in person a few months later. Others are planning to go it alone.

Judith Rosenmeier, 84, a widow who survived three breast cancer attacks, has no intention of inviting friends to her apartment or visiting their apartment.

“My oncologist said when this all started,’you really have to stay home more than others because the treatment you received destroyed much of your immune defenses,” she said. I did.

Since mid-March, Rosenmeier has only been out three times. I went to an ophthalmologist once in September and took a walk with a few friends twice. After living in Denmark for most of her adulthood, she doesn’t have a very close relationship. Her son lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

“It’s quite possible that you’ll be alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but you can survive,” she said.

A nearby friend, Joan Doucette, 82, is determined to maintain direct social contact. I made a “pod” with my husband Harry Fisher, 84, in a 9-unit apartment with two other couples.Everyone Beacon Hill Village, An organization that provides various services to the elderly. Doucette watches her pod almost every day.

“We always run up and down stairs and elevators, bringing cookies and soup to each other,” she said. “I don’t think I could have survived this pandemic without that dating.”

About once a week, the couple had dinner together and said, “I don’t wear a mask,” said fellow Daniel (73) and Jerry Fielder (74), who moved to Boston two years ago. .. Everyone knows where they are and what they are doing: We are all on the same page. We go for a walk every day, all of us. If not, we are very careful. “

Eleanor Weiss (86) and her husband are also members of the group. “I wear a mask and are socially distant, but not isolated,” Weiss said. She said she would meet “several close friends” and three daughters living in the Boston area this winter.

One daughter hosts Thanksgiving at her home, and all are pre-tested for coronavirus. “We are all careful. We don’t hug or kiss. We do elbows,” Wyeth said.

In Chicago, Arthurkov, 85, and his wife, Norma, 69, have no plans for Thanksgiving or Christmas yet. “It’s floating in the air, depending on what’s happening with the virus,” he said. The couple has a wide range of friends.

“I think it’s going to be a very tough winter,” said Koff, who has diabetes and blood cancer. He has no plans to go to a restaurant, but wants to meet a trusted friend in his house or apartment when the weather gets bad.

Julie Freestone, 75, and her husband, Rudy Rab, 74, are “quite enthusiastic” about staying safe during a pandemic. Earlier this month, the couple invited six friends to “October Thanksgiving” in the backyard of Richmond, California.

“Instead of the seating chart, we have a plated chart this year and pre-plated everything,” says Freestone. “I asked everyone to tell me what they wanted — white or black meat? Brussels sprouts or broccoli?”

This winter, Freestone has no plans to meet the people inside, but in effect visits with the group of people. One is her monthly women’s group, gathered at Zoom. “In a sense, people are suffering from so many problems that we feel we have reached a new level of intimacy, and we are all talking about it,” she said. Told.

“I think you need to redefine the bubbles,” said Freestone on the board. Ashby VillageA senior citizens organization based in Berkeley, Calif., Hosting many virtual groups. “It should be something you feel part of, but it doesn’t have to be the people who come to your home.”

Minneapolis-at Cent. Two psychologists in the Paul area of ​​Minnesota — Renidemic (79) and Brenda Hartmann (65) — Call attention What they call SILOS, the acronym “single individual excluded from social circles”, and the need for credible social contact this winter and fall.

They seek to reach out and form groups with older adults in this situation who may have met other people with similar interests, such as churches, reading clubs, and art classes. I recommend you to do it. Similarly, it is recommended that family and friends invite one older friend to the pod or bubble.

“Look at who’s in your community. Who came to a house you’ve never seen? Reach out,” Demiku recommended.

Both psychologists are single and live alone. De Mik’s pod contains two friends who are “very careful outside”, as she is. Hartmanns also includes an older sister (67 years old) and a father (89 years old) who live alone. My daughter works in elementary school, so I can only meet her outside. She also walks regularly with her two friends during the winter.

“COVID brings life and death in front of us, and when that happens, we have the opportunity to make decisive choices — the opportunity to take care of each other.”

Consumer resources

Public health experts advise that thorough and frequent hand washing, wearing masks at public meetings in small groups, and maintaining a social distance of at least 6 feet can help prevent coronavirus infection. I have. The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has detailed advice, including the following pages: