Mental health of seniors
We look after our mental health in different ways. One of mine is to avoid listening to toxic people on TV. By ‘toxic’ I mean those who sound manipulative and polarizing.
On occasion, I listen to our national and world leaders speak, that is, when they really have important things to say. Most occasions, however, are just cocky, narcissistic talk. Listening to these leaders project their self-importance is like subjecting oneself to emotional abuse.
I usually get my sense of current events by following the news on the stock market. Finance and stock analysts, I believe, have a much keener sense of the impact of events, at least from a short view. For a long view or deeper perspective, I turn to books and journals.
To my surprise, the finance and stock market news the other day devoted some airtime about the 2020 US presidential debate between the incumbent Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden. I’m tired of Trump’s constant lies and insults, so I muted the YouTube Live stream from Bloomberg. I heard that the televised debate was a low point in television, so I guess I didn’t miss anything really important.
Another rubbish drama on television this week was House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s theatrics at the House plenary. The live feed of his speech happened to appear on my social media feed. I clicked on the link hoping to watch a confirmation of the change of leadership in the House of Representatives which was projected in the news earlier this week.
But to my surprise, it was the master of slick argumentation, sophistry, and sarcasm, Mr. Cayetano himself, denouncing his rival Lord Allan Jay Velasco at the plenary. In this time of the pandemic, Cayetano’s timing was off, to put it gently.
Cayetano’s blinding ambition reminds me of what I and my friends observe in today’s crop of young leaders. Most of today’s young politicians, save for a few in the local governments, are bright, ambitious, and transactional on all fronts. In other words, you cannot depend on them to stand up for what they think is right. They won’t take risks in their political career and will never rock the boat even if it means saving lives and the future of this country.
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Aside from shielding yourself from toxic people, there are many more ways to protect your mental health in this time of the pandemic. One of those ways is to spend regular time with nature and the outdoors. We all need that, especially senior citizens.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama’s speech the other day resonated with a lot of people, especially senior citizens. The vice mayor has called for the lifting of the stay-at-home order for seniors, describing their confinement as cruel. Under the regulations recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for MGCQ areas, those 60 years old and above are banned from going outside their homes, with a few exceptions.
In reply to the vice mayor, Councilor Joel Garganera, who by the way is doing a very good job so far as deputy chief implementer of the Emergency Operations Center of the city, said that city government is only protecting the senior citizens as data show that most fatal victims of COVID-19 are seniors.
But to Rama, if senior citizens in government are allowed to go out, why are the others not allowed? He said that seniors, in fact, are circumspect. They do not decide on impulse. “They are more deliberate, often more conservative, all on the side of what would be best for themselves and those around them,” Rama said.
Both Rama and Garganera have valid points. I believe that a compromise can be reached somewhere. If the intention is to protect the welfare of seniors, then we should also look after their mental well-being. Being cooped up at home for a long period is too much for older people. They need to spend time outside once in a while for a dose of eco-therapy.
Younger people may be able to simulate community gatherings in virtual meetings using technology. But for seniors, there is no substitute for the healing power of nature and occasionally seeing the outside community. Instead of outright prohibition, maybe we can formulate a more reasonable regulation that would allow our senior citizens to go out, yet still reduce their risk of infection.
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