The Forgotten Many: Don’t Let A Virus Separate Us

It’s heartbreaking how so many people have been without human contact for many months. The elderly haven’t been able to hug their grandkids and vice versa. It’s terrible to admit, but this virus has shown that we have holes in our communities. We need to urgently address concerns of the elderly people in our neighborhoods. They have largely been left to deal with things their own way. They’ve been told to self-isolate but they didn’t have enough time to create a support network. But there are also other groups of people that need our help too. The forgotten many, should not be the slogan of this pandemic when the dust settles.

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What about the homeless?

At the best of times, the homeless are left to fend for themselves. But now that there’s a deadly pandemic that has killed over 150,000 people in America alone, what can we do to help them? The basics we can all do are as follows.

 

• Bring them a cup of coffee to help keep them warm and some snacks. The immune system is at its most strong when it is healthy and that means, having enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals in your system.
• Make sure they have plenty of water to drink, by bringing homeless people bottled water. The white blood cells that combat viruses travel to their enemies much quicker when you have good amounts of hydration.
• Bring homeless people some personal protective equipment. Masks, gloves and hand sanitizer will go a long way. 

Incredible people like Cynthia Telles are leading the charge and helping homeless people with medical care advice and options amid a difficult pandemic backdrop. She said, “We take a very collaborative approach to ensure we are supporting organizations that deploy community solutions and have direct community relationships to best make an immediate and long-term impact.”

Don’t forget the elderly

Self-isolation is something none of us has ever experienced, let alone an older person that might not be as mentally or physically as healthy as the younger generation. We need to help them not feel so trapped and far away from their friends and loved ones. We can do this by simply organizing meetings in gardens and speaking to them through the window. Sit down on the lawn and obey social distancing. Have a chat with them while wearing a mask and make eye contact. 

A safe hugging session might not go amiss. If you have the ability to hang a clear shower curtain from a ceiling, and if you’re all wearing PPE, then you can cut armholes into the shower curtain and have a hug. Make sure that you’ve made some arm sleeves so you’re not touching skin on skin.

Sending your elderly relatives some greetings cards and some gifts like chocolate boxes could help them remember you and feel looked after. Keep in touch with them every day, by calling and texting them.

We’re all in this together. Let’s not forget the homeless who are alone more than ever. Give them bottled water, some food and most of all, some personal protective equipment.