Tag Archives: siobhan benita

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I won’t lie. I’ve been anxious at how quickly Covid-19 pandemic has progressed.

I’m about to start homeschooling my children, and despite being a qualified teacher, it’s daunting. But this is also a time my children will see my actions and behaviour and be formed by them. So I only feel right that I should focus my free time on the elderly and most vulnerable who will be be self-isolating over the coming weeks and months.

This is going to be a testing time for our nation. But I don’t feel we should be in the Blitz spirit – this is a completely different threat. This a start of a revolution – a chance for humanity to show its strength against an invisible enemy and fight for the services we take for granted: the NHS, the teachers, the care workers – the so called “low skilled workers”! This episode could change the way we educate, socialise and communicate. But most importantly how we care for each other, particularly our most vulnerable.

During these times, we need to pay extra attention to the elderly. Many will need assistance with obtaining groceries, medication and other essentials. Some will receive fewer visits from family and friends; increasing the risk of a harmful incident, such as a fall, not being noticed until too late. Reduced social contact will also have massive psychological implications, in the form of loneliness.

The rise in loneliness and social isolation over the last few years, particularly amongst the elderly, has been well documented. It is one of the reasons I championed a “happy to chat bench” in Cheam – to encourage people to reach out and build the relationships which are so vital to sustaining healthy lives. The imminent period of isolation is likely to lead to the issue being exacerbated. The happy to chat bench might not be coronavirus friendly, but let’s all do our bit to think of creative ways to combat this issue. You may have seen Ed Davey’s important announcement that the Lib Dem party is mobilising members to set up a taskforce to help people deal with self-isolation. Please visit www.libdems.org.uk/coronavirus to see how you can help.