When the pandemic hit the world, earlier this year, we had a global cry for empathy in communication in all walks of live. While empathy and being human should come naturally to us, somewhere in the humdrum of daily lives and the rat race to be successful, we lost that quality. Nevertheless, the once in a century pandemic forcefully brought back that sense of collective empathy amongst us.
However the solutions which have enabled seniors to move freely within the home has brought out stark reality, i.e. isolation. We are truly living in an era where the dichotomy is startling. On one hand while tech has truly helped seniors navigate through COVID times, it has made them more lonely. Devoid of human connections as they live alone. Is that what wellness is all about?
Wellness by definition translates into the practice of daily habits to attain better mental health and physical health. While tech has certainly enabled seniors to improve their physical health and aided their physical activities, the feeling of loneliness is accelerated by the condition of one’s mental health.
There is a common belief even amongst caregivers that somehow assistive technology coupled with the best facilities is going to take care of a senior amid a raging pandemic. The very idea of care encompasses physical as well as mental care. Hence its certainly not justified to overlook the mental health aspect, especially in the context of seniors in the midst of lockdowns due to COVID.
In an article published recently by the respected scientific Journal, The Lancet, it was noted that COVID ageism is a very real risk I will most likely affect the mental health of seniors. There’s a real fear of social isolation among seniors who fear they may not be treated equally by the medical community if they catch the virus. This is over and above the fear of the disease itself. Its not only this fear among seniors about getting equal treatment priority like youngsters, but also the warnings issued by authorities which mention that seniors need to be isolated to be protected.
These actions are executed from a vantage point of care and empathy, but the irony is the impact on mental health of seniors. Only if Alexa had a heart and could connect to a senior citizen emotionally! Alas, we are not quite there yet, despite the advances made in Artificial Intelligence.
We at Unmukt have launched the Unmukt Senior Hub – One stop shop for all products and services, exclusively for Seniors.