Silver Talkies presented 'Life After Lockdown - A Guiding Session For Seniors'

Silver Talkies in collaboration with Manipal Hospitals presented ‘Life After Lockdown – A Guiding Session For Seniors’ by noted geriatrician Dr Anoop Amarnath of Manipal Hospitals on how seniors can prepare for life after the Coronavirus lockdown ends.

The Coronavirus outbreak has completely changed our normal pace of life and post lockdown life will not be the same way it used to be earlier. Senior citizens have been worst affected by the lockdown and keeping that in mind, Silver Talkies in collaboration with Manipal Hospitals presented ‘Life After Lockdown – A Guiding Session For Seniors’ by noted geriatrician Dr Anoop Amarnath of Manipal Hospitals on how seniors can prepare for life after the Coronavirus lockdown ends. The May 8 webinar saw seniors attending from across the country.

Our expert: Dr Anoop Amarnath, Chairman – Geriatric Medicine and Chief of Clinical Services at Manipal Hospitals. Dr Amarnath believes that working on appropriate habits of life can enable seniors to adapt to the new normal.

Here are key guidelines from the talk:

Effective hand sanitisation

Click here to read about the government advisory issued for the protection of senior citizens above 60 years from Coronavirus.

Using the mask right

. Do not touch the front part or the back part.

. Hold it on the sides.

. Cover the three things – nose, mouth and chin.

. While removing, do not touch the back part and the front part.

. A single layer surgical mask or a cloth mask all can be effective provided one does not touch the front and the back part of it.

Basic respiratory hygiene

. Cover your mouth and face with a tissue paper when you cough and put it in the bin.

. In case you do not have anything to cover your mouth and face, cough into your elbow and make sure that both your nose and mouth are covered by your elbow.

Effective health hygiene

. Every time you go outside and come back, make sure you wash your hands and legs, leave your footwear outside and change clothes.

. Having your own set of towels, own set of soaps and plates and glass is a good habit of personal hygiene.

. It is important to look at our medical issues. At present, the entire focus is on Covid-19 and it is easy to forget other general medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems that many seniors suffer from. This simple checklist will help you prevent neglecting your other medical problems and keep them in control.

List your medical conditions

List out your medications

List out your allergies

List out your lab/investigation reports

Reach out to your personal doctor

Effective nutrition

. Three things to be kept in mind are you need to have the right time to eat, the right food to eat and in the right quantity.

. It is essential to have a balanced diet with ten right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and fats (one-third of each of them) and consume enough quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Basic home exercises

Effective mental health habits

Six ways to keep your brain sound are:

. Hear good, smell good, eat good, think good, feel good and see good.

. Make it a habit to listen to music that suits you

. Smell something good, be it a perfume or incense sticks that can improve your state of mind.

. Meditate and focus on something positive and think good.

. Wear a good dress, take a proper shower and shave and feel good. Watch your favourite movies, serials, chant and feel good.

These can ensure your mental balance is maintained.

Tips on social habits

Social habits are important in terms of managing life after the lockdown is lifted.

. Have a structured time table and avoid doing daily activities haphazardly

. Maintain physical distance

. Delegate and seek support. It is important to realise that we cannot do everything all by ourselves and delegate responsibilities and seek support.

Are hospital visits safe now?

There are government guidelines in terms of the services that the hospital can provide and they cannot. Tele Consultancy and video consultancy is the best way for a check-up now. In case a physical examination is required, you can physically visit them.

Protecting yourself from asymptomatic carriers

If we follow the basic personal, hand, respiratory and health hygienes, we can protect ourselves from carriers.

Domestic help guidelines

If each and every one of us including the domestic help and others helping us out can maintain personal, hand and respiratory hygiene, we all can be on safe grounds. However, the government has put up guidelines regarding this as well.

The guidelines for domestic help vary from state to state and depend on the approval of resident welfare associations (RWAs). Click here to know the BBMP advisory for apartment and resident groups.

Ground-rule for groceries and frequently touched surfaces

Follow your hand hygiene and cough hygiene and do not touch your nose, eyes and mouth, that will go a long way in terms of safely handling groceries. Frequently touched surfaces like your glasses, mobile and desk need to be cleaned on a daily basis with the hand sanitiser. As long as these basic hygienes are maintained, you will be safe. If you are driving make sure that the car is sanitised. It is important that the seats, steering wheel, the gears, the handles of the car are sanitised on a regular basis.

Dentist visits

Dental services are shut for obvious reasons as per the government guidelines. For any kind of emergency, you will have to go to a hospital.

How long will seniors have to stay at home even after the lockdown lifts?

Once the lockdown is lifted, personal hygiene, hand hygiene and social distancing have to be maintained when one steps out. At present, it is better to seek support from the younger ones and stay at home as per the government guidelines.

Fruit safety

Peelable fruits are much safer. For fruits that are non-peelable, soak it in warm water with some salt and go for a second wash.

Is footwear a source of transmission?

It will be good to have a separate set of footwear when you go out after the lockdown is lifted and leave it outside. As far as possible, use footwear that is easily washable and can be rinsed like Crocs.

Should seniors above 65 avoid travel even after travel restrictions are lifted?

Once these travel restrictions are lifted, please travel only if it is mandatory and avoid recreational travel in the immediate future. While going out for mandatory travel, follow the hygiene measures.

The importance of sleep to stay healthy

From a medical perspective, a minimum of 8 to 9 hours of sleep is required. With age, the duration of sleep comes down. Even if you get 5 to 6 hours of sleep, it is good enough. In case you get a nap at noon, it is an icing on the cake. Ensure proper sleep hygiene is maintained. Sleep at the right time, get your bedspread changed regularly, have a dim bed lamp but avoid bright light, do not take caffeine after 4 pm and avoid screen time before a couple of hours of going to sleep.

Are newspapers safe?

If you cannot get out of the habit of reading newspapers, just do not forget to maintain your hand hygiene and do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth while reading.

Importance of Vitamin C

Yes, Vitamin C is highly recommendable. Fruits rich in Vitamin C like orange, amla, etc can enhance immunity and is therefore good to be included in the diet.

How does Covid-19 spread?

Covid-19 spread through droplets when you sneeze and cough. There are reports that say it is airborne as well.