Five years from now, how will I look back on this time? Will I see every day in Spring 2020 as just another day I wished away? This has no doubt been one of the worst periods for the world in my lifetime. Many people have lost jobs, had to give up on their dream of running their own restaurant or hair salon, realized that the career they chose may never work for them again and experienced the fear of not being able have to feed and support their families. It is hard to imagine how they have continued to deal with the collateral damages associated with Covid-19.
While my life and the lives of many retired seniors have no doubt been very different from what we had planned for and expected, many of us have not had to deal with the same issues other age groups have. The most major loss for me so far was having a trip to visit the Netherlands and Belgium for the tulip festival cancelled. We have had a family vacation at the Jersey Shore in August for years which may be impossible now.
The changes I and many other seniors have experienced are not as life changing as those experienced by other age groups, but many of us have been deeply affected by them. Since retirement 12 years ago I have built a life filled with volunteering, get togethers with friends and other members from Conejo Valley Village and generally maintaining a busy schedule. However this all changed for me and many others in March.
I was used to spending many hours at our Goebel Adult Community Center attending classes, playing bingo, going to concerts and events and spending very pleasant time with others. As a Long Term Care Ombudsman I regularly visited residents of local care facilities which was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. My Conejo Valley Village membership involved sharing frequent in person events at restaurants, movies, etc., with other members.
All our local organizations and centers for seniors are closed now due to Covid-19. Our Village has switched many activities from in person to online with almost daily Zoom meetings of various kinds. There are no Ombudsman visits to care facilities during this time. Many seniors have experienced similar activity losses.
So what can we do to avoid just wishing this entire period would go away? Even when places “open up,” will seniors feel comfortable returning to their favorite restaurant or getting together in larger groups to celebrate special days? When will we feel comfortable just browsing our favorite stores or thrift boutiques?
For me Zoom get togethers have done a lot to bring structure to the day and to provide something to look forward to. Watching the news is something I really try to limit now. I try to take advantage of the many online opportunities for learning new things and for doing online fitness classes. Senior Planet is a national organization that offers online classes every weekday. At first I thought I would be more motivated and signed up for a 6-month Babbel course in Spanish, but I seem to lack the mental energy to do it. My daily schedule is not even half as filled as it was before, but somehow the days seem to drift away, and I have heard the same from many other seniors.
Is this a time to reevaluate how I choose to spend my time when we return to our probably new and different normal? If some of the things I did are never available or available in a very limited way, will everything I worked for to build a happy rewarding retirement be gone? I really hope that I can find a way to adjust my life and activities to whatever changes Covid-19 and its aftermath bring, allowing me to return to the fulfilling and enjoyable retirement I experienced before Covid. I would love to hear what others have found to help them now and any thoughts about making our years after Covid as good as or better than the years before.