Whilst isolated during this pandemic, we are expected to maintain a social distance in order to try and reduce the spread of this disease. We try and stay at home as much as possible and only leave the house when absolutely necessary. With technology improving day by day, we are able to access many tools and resources available to us to help us stay at home wherever possible such as: online shopping for groceries, Amazon for all our daily wants and needs and even facilities to speak to doctors online for less serious concerns. However, these resources that we sometimes take for granted are not always available or of easy access for poeple of the older generations.

Imagine that you are a person of the older community with an underlying health condition. You would be seen as more vulnerable than others and so are at a greater risk of catching this disease. You have run out of groceries and need to go shopping. You do not have a car as you normally take public transport and you do not have a computer as you are unable to use one. That means that you will most probably have to go to the shops, potentially exposing yourself to the virus and putting your life at risk.

Staying at home is not as easy as portrayed through the media. Your life still has to move on and you will still have times when you may have to leave your house, but this can be reduced tremendously with the help of family, friends or even neighbours. The less times a member of the more vulnerable leaves their home, the lower the risk of them catching the virus and therefore we can help reduce the spread to others. By simply adding your elderly neighbour's shopping to your own, you could potentially prevent them from catching the virus and maybe help save a life.

 

By Simran Kalsi, Nower Hill High School