The star-like interest in Charmaine Gauci’s daily coronavirus update seems to be going down. Up to a couple of weeks ago, at the stroke of noon, everyone would be talking about the number of cases, “kemm qalet illum?”. Now everyone is talking about hairdresser appointments, “meta se tiftaħ tiegħek?”.
We’ve had one minister after another trying to hog the news to assure their relevant sectors that all is in hand. Travel, hunting, restaurants, beaches… you name it, it’s been mentioned. But what I haven’t really come across is what is going to happen to the elderly people in care homes.
Since March 12, all homes for the elderly, whether run by the state, church or the private sector, have been in total lockdown. In some cases, care workers have been living in with the residents in order to ensure that there is no possibility of virus transmission. This is all highly laudable – and it has certainly been a key factor in staving off the worst-case scenarios witnessed in many other European countries.
However, the other side of the coin is that thousands of elderly people have not been able to see their nearest and dearest for almost 10 weeks now. This is the age group who is the least technologically savvy.
For them, screens are not an option. The majority do not have or know how to use Zoom, Facetime or Sykpe. If they do have a mobile phone at all, it would be one of those vintage blue 3310 Nokias.
Of course, the majority of these old, frail citizens understand that something odd is going on in the outside world – but they cannot truly grasp exactly what. I don’t blame them – even we can barely do that. In the archives of their memories they cannot find a precedent, so they are confused, upset and distressed.
The truth is that many residents in elderly homes live for the visiting time. It is the highlight of their day: they wait with great anticipation for that injection of outside contact; they live for the glimpse of different generations to theirs.
Instead, for the last 10 weeks, all they’ve been seeing is people in their age bracket and in their same predicament. It’s bleak: like being doled out thin gruel day in day out with no end in sight.
What is the exit plan for these care homes? How long must they endure this peak anxiety?- Kristina Chetcuti
Then there’s the added problem that if for health reasons, they have to go to Mater Dei, on their return to the home, they have to spend a fortnight in quarantine. This means complete isolation, with nurses wearing masks, fleetingly going in to administer the basic tasks.
It is so immensely difficult to explain quarantine. When it happened to my granny at the end of March, we were forever on the phone with her because she was too bewildered.
“What have I done – why does no one want to talk to me?” she’d ask. Solitary confinement is a strain on anyone, let alone the most fragile.
The elderly, are, of course, our most vulnerable citizens and it was a sensible decision to seal off the homes when the threat of the virus was at its peak. But what now? What is the exit plan for these care homes? How long must they endure this peak anxiety?
This is not an age group where they are seeking to get on with their lives – they are certainly not champing at the bit to go out and party at the weekends. And they do not have particularly ambitious plans – they don’t want to go hunting or to a restaurant or even to the hairdresser. They simply want to see their loved ones.
Perhaps it’s time to give some thought to the possibility of modest easing of restrictions for these care homes, to ease their pain. I don’t know, maybe extensive swabbing of visitors or limited visiting times? Maybe if Gauci has to simply announce a future unlockdown date, it would be more than enough to give them something hopeful to talk about... “Daqt narahom lit-tfal tafx”.
Last January, the statistics said it all: the Maltese were declared the people who had most increased their spending on eating out in all of the EU. In fact, €13 out of every €100 we earned went to restaurants. The family meal at home was dying a slow death.
By March, that statistic had fallen flat on its face. Restaurants were shut down and everyone has since been eating at home. Now, I do wonder – when things ease up – will we go back to eating out all the time?
I don’t want restaurant owners or their staff to lose their jobs, but I’m hoping that this coronavirus will separate the wheat from the chaff, and only those outlets who truly have a love of food will keep at it.
Perhaps now that we’ve tasted home cooking again, we’ll become more fastidious and not settle easily for low quality and pay high prices to boot.
Studies repeatedly show that children in families who eat at home at least five times a week are not likely to suffer from obesity and enjoy better mental health; and adults are happier and enjoy a longer life expectancy.
Eating at home, therefore, strengthens the family bonds and by proxy, the very fibres of society. I hope we won’t forget this in our rush to get back to normal.
krischetcuti@gmail.com
Twitter: @krischetcuti