COVID’s effect on the older generations
As a younger person, I have been able to utilize social media to my advantage during these hard times. Because of quarantine, social media has become a main form of communication and staying connected to friends and family during the pandemic. For older people who are not well versed in the world of social media, these times can be difficult. COVID-19 is a virus that we have learned affects elderly people the worst. The age groups with the highest number of hospitalizations are 75–84 and 85 and up.
Below is a chart showing COVID-19 deaths by age. As you can see, ages 75–84 and 85 and up show the highest number of deaths in the U.S. These statistics only further emphasize the importance for the elderly to stay in the confines of their home.
Because the risk of coronavirus is so high for people age 75 and over, it is crucial to stay safe and healthy. The importance of staying isolated from possible dangers is huge; but the older generations are at a double disadvantage. This double disadvantage comes both from having to be in complete isolation and also not having much experience maneuvering social media. Society not only has to worry about older people’s physical health during this pandemic, but also their mental health. Younger generations like Millennials and Generation Z have grown up with technology and the internet. Our whole lives have prepared us for staying connected to each other while in complete isolation. Before the pandemic, parents would always tell their children that they were on their phones too much and they needed to make more human connections. Well, little did parents know that one day children’s ability to make connections through a phone would be essential to meeting new people and maintaining relationships.
While the internet is something that children have grown up with, older people do not have the skills Gen Z has to stay updated with the world around them. In order to stay in touch with family and friends, older people have had to learn many new skills and techniques for using the internet. Applications on the internet like Instagram, Tiktok, and Zoom, which older people were never familiar with, are now crucial for them to learn.
My grandmother, Judy Schuster, has been spending her quarantine responsibly at home with her husband. Since COVID, Judy has not been able to see her two sons who live in Detroit and Saginaw. Not only has she not seen her two sons, but her grandchildren as well. Because my grandma lives very close to my family, she does get to see her daughter (my mother) and my sister and me. We are very careful, but it is important to my grandma to still see her family because her family is all she has.
In times like these we realize what the most important things are. Family is all we have, and the pandemic has made people realize that. Judy was asked how she feels social media has affected her during COVID and she said, “Well because of the pandemic I have had to learn how to use so many different apps on the internet recently. Zoom has been difficult to figure out. My bridge club now meets on Zoom to catch up on each other’s lives. To get Zoom working I contacted the Geek Squad to help me figure everything out. That is one of many times I have had to call the Geek Squad during the pandemic.”
Judy has had to adapt her everyday activities to everyday internet activities. She plays Bridge on ‘Bridge Base Online’ almost every day. Judy is not a big fan of Zoom.
Judy said, “I don’t really like Zoom. Everyone talks at the same time. Every time I start to talk someone else starts to talk, so I stop and just sit there like a bump on a log. It doesn’t feel like real life because in real life, if eight or nine people are together, little groups of people form within the bigger group of conversations, and that is not how Zoom works.”
Because we can’t play bridge in real life, my friend and I set up a virtual bridge tournament online with 26 competitors. If I didn’t have this in my life right now, I would go crazy.”
Judy added, “not all of my friends feel the same about Zoom as I do. I have a friend in assisted living who is very grateful to be able to play bridge online. If we were not playing online currently, my friend would not be able to participate. Some other friends of mine will be heading down to Florida and usually would have to stop playing; but with everything being online these days, they can continue playing in Florida. “
Judy learned to play online, and she trained about 15 of her fellow players how to utilize the app. The app did not have a setting to be able to talk to each other, so Judy then created a conference call to allow players to communicate while playing bridge. To do this she had her friend who found the information on Google teach her. Judy is happy that she has learned many new ways to connect with people online.
Judy said, “The other day I was with my friend at our outdoor book club meeting. Even though we had not seen each other physically for months, it felt like I had just seen her yesterday because I play bridge online with her so often.”
Besides Zoom, Judy has also become more familiar with social media apps. This has allowed her to stay in contact with her grandchildren, who are all young and very active online. Judy downloaded Tiktok at the beginning of quarantine. After making her account, and teaching her how to use the app, my grandma and I can stay connected through Tiktok.
Judy said, “I love Tiktok! Rachel downloaded it for me so I could stay updated on all her dance videos. Now, I am addicted. Every night I get to look forward to getting into bed and watching funny Tiktoks. Both of my granddaughters are dancers. Before the pandemic, I was blessed with the ability to go to all of their dance competitions and dance recitals. Now that all of that is cancelled, I am able to still watch them dance on Tiktok.”
All in all, coronavirus has caused much distress on older people. It has forced them to learn many new online techniques that they never before needed. Thanks to the internet, older people have a safe way to stay connected without having to be completely isolated.
