WE CALL UPON CITIZENS TO BE SOLIDARY WITH THE ELDER IN THE FACE OF THIS PANDEMIC

We organized the Virtual Meeting “Challenges in Psycho-emotional health of Elder People Before COVID-19”; and we agreed on the need to fight against myths about old age.

In the wake of Grandparent’s Day celebrated on August 28^th, representatives of authorities, citizens and the Local Congress called upon citizens to be solidary and sensitive to the needs of Elder People who, amidst the pandemic have become one of the most vulnerable sectors in terms of mental and psycho-emotional health.

During the virtual Meeting “Challenges in Psycho-emotional health of Elder people before COVID-29” organized by the Citizen Council for Safety and Justice in Mexico City, led by Salvador Guerrero Chipres, they established the need to continuously accompany this sector of the population whether through the community, the government and the law, without stereotyping.

“We have to look for another way to see old age. Old is a marvelous word that encompasses a life of successes and failure: I am neither of those words that are disguising old age. A baby is a baby, an adult is an adult and an old person is an old person. We have to eradicate this political correction in order to give honor to the word old,” writer Rafael Alvarez Cordero declared.

He was joined by Almudena Ocejo Rojo, head of the Inclusion and Social Well-being Ministry in Mexico City (SIBISO), who reminded that in the national capital city there is a clear commitment with elder people that, during the pandemic, has worked on strengthening attention on the psycho emotional health of the 240 thousand elder people who live alone, a seventh part of those who are registered nationwide.

“In Mexico City, 10 percent of elder people live by themselves, but not all of them lack family and social support. The Institute for a Dignified Old Age (INED) offers support to the 6 thousand that lack this network in order to maintain virtual socialization active and beware of cases of abuse and mistreatment that confinement has worsened in some cases,” Ocejo declared.

Between January and August 2020, the Silver Line 55 5533 5533 operated by the Citizen Council, has received over 32 thousand calls from a population of people over 61. Data reveals that during the pandemic requests for emotional containment have doubled. For this reason, Guerrero Chipres says that counseling services for citizens, families and society are very relevant in this situation.

“About 27 percent of the phone calls we receive at the Council are made by older people. Of the people who have called the Silver Line to ask for psychological support, 31 percent have presented depression caused by grief after losing a loved one. Then, 20% manifested some kind of alteration due to fear of getting sick, anxiety, anguish and insomnia. Also, 19 percent reported that their family had stopped caring for them or had even been violent and 13 percent reported fear and concern for some legal process,” the head of this organism established.

Meanwhile, congresswoman Marisela Zuñiga Ceron said that in relation with the reports they receive from older people at the Inclusion and Social Well-Being Commission of the Congress in Mexico City that she presides, they have also detected feelings of loneliness, loss of freedom, uncertainty and boredom. “What do we need? To be happy, to have a dignified old age with full use of our rights,” she affirmed.

The head of the Alliance of Organizations for Older People (REDAM), Patricia Rebolledo, proposed creating an integral attention system for older people at home in case of emergencies or disasters. “Programs should be built based on older people’s feelings and needs,” she said.

The Silver Line 55 5533 5533 works 24/7 and it’s managed by lawyers and psychologists who offer their services for free, while interactions have no time limit. The Citizen Council also offers the Trustworthy Chat, with the same phone number; because one of the positive consequences of confinement has been that many older people have strengthened or discovered their skills for digital communication.