Looking back on 2020....
VIRUS - lockdown - restrictions - face masks - outbreak - contagious - fear - COVID.
When we reflect back on the year 2020, it's hard to believe a time before the coronavirus, back when the term 'pandemic' appeared mostly in futuristic fantasy novels and thriller movies.
Senior Lifestyle's first issue of the year was published back in early February when there was only a whisper of what was yet to come.
In a heart-warming feature, we touched on the role of grandparents and their task in closing the generation gap.
Thornlands grandmother Jill McDonald spoke about the role she played in granddaughter Scottie's life and accepting that her daughter Madeleine does things a little differently to 'her day'.
Jill recognised that some traditional methods still had their place, even with her own daughter who she thought was "doing a great job". Meanwhile, Madeleine appreciated that she could call on her mum whenever she needed and wanted her to be a big part of Scottie's world.
By the April edition, there was global disaster and many of the Senior Lifestlye's features, already on the go, had to be re-jigged and constantly updated with the latest COVID-19 information on the path to production.
"Virus outbreak - protecting our seniors" was the focus of one feature article where RDCOTA called on community members to reach out to friends and neighbours to offer support and help and to do so safely.
This highlighted the vulnerability facing many seniors in our community who were isolated from resources, family and friends.
At the time, aged care restrictions were in place, however, some Redlands aged care homes went beyond these, opting for voluntary lockdown.
The next issue of Senior Lifestyle took its hat off to the great lengths many of our Redlands organisations went to with encouraging community connections.
Through lockdowns and restrictions, the Redland Community Centre (RCC) continued connecting with people via phone, text and social media to check in by asking 'in what way can we help you today'.....