How to persuade older relatives to be careful if they do not believe in coronavirus
'05.04.2020'
Source: lady.tut.by
What to do if our parents, grandparents do not consider the danger real and refuse to observe safety measures? Portal LADY.TUT.BY gives advice tested on their own experience.
Link to sources they trust
It so happened that many of the older generation do not trust anyone: neither the TV, nor the authorities. And someone sees the world conspiracies in everything. Try to find the most authoritative sources of information specifically for your parents: for some it will be a certain information resource, for someone it’s a trustworthy doctor Komarovsky, for someone it’s the “mother’s friend’s son” working in the hospital.
There is a good argument that if the virus is allowed to spread exponentially fast, as it naturally happens, then doctors and clinics will not be able to cope with this. The purpose of quarantine and self-isolation is to stretch the development of the epidemic, smooth it out. So that the infection spreads over time and the load on the hospital is reduced. So that as a result, each of us can get full medical care and doctors would not have to choose who to save in the first place.
If parents do not really care about their own health, perhaps the argument will work out that if each of us shows social responsibility, this can save the life of someone else. Show them the video, which shows very clearly how self-isolation works in an epidemic.
Naturally, the hardest thing will be to persuade those who are forced to go to work to go into self-isolation. It is clear that the financial issue is always very difficult, and older people are especially afraid of reduction. If you are able to pay your parents temporary leave at their own expense, do so. If the financial situation is so-so, try to weigh the pros and cons - perhaps the loss of money due to temporary quarantine will not be as critical as you think. And having discussed everything together with your parents, you decide what you could refuse in favor of health. Money is a business, human life is priceless.
On the subject: High-risk group: how to behave for people over 60 during a coronavirus pandemic
Explain that going to the post office and the bank is not necessary
If parents do not use Internet banking, but pay everything at banks and post offices, make sure to pay all bills for them: utility bills, loans, installments, throw more than usual on the balance of mobile phones.
Parents should also be asked to temporarily refrain from going to the store. It is in our power to provide them with the necessary supply of food and medicine or arrange delivery to your home.
Calm down: you can still walk the dog
What to do in a situation if the parents are forced to walk the dog, and there is no one to delegate it to? If we persuaded them not to travel by public transport, not to visit markets, not to go to shops, to the post office and to the clinic - this is almost a victory.
A short walk with your pet in the fresh air is not scary, but subject to certain rules. Let them go outside during the hours when it is least likely to meet a crowd of passers hurrying to work or from work.
Do not take the elevator with other residents. And help them come up with a half-joking phrase like “let's not mix our microbes together during these difficult times” - to smooth out the awkwardness in front of our neighbors. For a while, you should refuse to communicate with other dog lovers, it’s enough to wave them welcoming from a distance of one and a half to two meters.
Reassure your parents that it will not hurt anyone to leave the house wearing a mask and gloves. Remind you to wash your hands and face thoroughly after returning from a walk. By the way, dogs' paws can only be washed with water, treating them with an antiseptic is pointless and harmful to animals.
Explain how fraudsters can act during this period.
They say that now a lot of fake information has spread that lonely pensioners, under the guise of disinfectants, infiltrate criminals, treat them with gas, and then rob them.
It may be a fake, but lonely pensioners are always at risk, and who knows, under the guise of what kind of social assistance, using the situation of a pandemic, a criminal will get into their house. May our parents and grandparents strengthen vigilance just in case. And if they do not expect anyone, they do not open it to anyone.
On the subject: Extra caution: chronic diseases most dangerous during coronavirus
Call yourself
And finally: do not leave loved ones who find themselves in forced isolation, all alone. Yes, you won’t be able to come to visit (the maximum is to leave a grocery bag under the door), but thanks to modern technologies, we have the opportunity to communicate using video calls, for example. And a regular phone call will be enough. The main thing is regularly.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
