Coronavirus causes elderly to make the happy move to assisted living

Published date07 January 2021
Date07 January 2021
AuthorILANA SHTOTLAND
"The decision was made lickety-split. Within two weeks of the decision being made, I was already here."

Before making the move to the Until 120 assisted living facility in Rishon Lezion, Schudler, a widow, a mother of two and grandmother of four, lived in Ashdod. Her children do not live in the city. "Since the coronavirus started, I have not been busy with anything," she said. "On weekdays in Ashdod there are a lot of things for retirees to do. I am also a retiree of the municipality, so there are a lot of activities.

"I used to go out, see people, have fun, go to movies, shows, musical evenings, and suddenly there is nothing and I am stuck between four walls."

How did you handle it?

"I had a terrible feeling. One day I got upset and said, 'I'm going to an assisted living facility.' I had never thought about it before. I told my kids about it, and they were in favor. We started looking for a place. When I entered the current facility, I sat down and said: 'I want to be here.' I did a trial week and was the happiest person. I really like people, and here I have found a lot of people I can talk to. There is also a swimming pool, non-stop activities, shows... Of course, all the classes and activities are held in capsules, everyone keeps their distance, always with masks. They also do coronavirus tests."

It wasn't difficult to leave your familiar surroundings in Ashdod?

"It was very difficult, but everyone encouraged me. I was in such despair that I had to do something with myself. The two lockdowns I went through were very hard for me. I could not see friends, the grandchildren. I saw the children very rarely because they were scared of infecting me. Being alone for eight months is not easy. The helplessness broke me. Luckily, I had hospital treatments I had to go through, so at least I saw people. It's not easy to leave the city, the friends, the house I love, but I don't think about it. Already in the first week here, when I spoke to my friends on the phone, they said to me: 'We haven't heard your voice like this for months.' I used to be depressed and now the joy of life has suddenly returned to me."

SCHUDLER IS not the only one: Quite a few elderly people who were affected by the consequences of the coronavirus and were subjected to continuous social isolation decided to leave their homes and move to assisted living facilities.

"The coronavirus left me lonely at home," said Yehudit Schnitzer, 78, a widow, mother of three and grandmother of five, who...

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