Of the countless ways that COVID-19 impacted Mid-Shore communities, the great “senior citizen retreat” into isolation during the pandemic has been the least reported. By late Spring of 2020, hundreds of community elders ended their regular routine of visiting senior centers, such as Easton’s Brookletts Place, and have not been back since.
Their absence is worrisome for Upper Shore Aging’s Teresa Greene and Talbot County’s Department of Social Services Lee Lynch Newcomb. Not only are these seniors prone to more social isolation, but in more than a few cases, they are experiencing self-neglect. Over the past two years, many elders have forgone eating balanced meals, trips to the doctor, and forgetting to take medication and maintain personal hygiene. Without social interaction and contact with peers, there is a growing number of senior citizens trapped in their own homes, even as the dangers of the pandemic have been dramatically reduced.
The Spy drove over to Brookletts Place last week to chat with Teresa and Lee about the dangers of senior isolation and how they are partnering this Fall to get the word out to our aging population that it’s safe to come back and see old friends.
This video is approximately 3 minutes in length. For more information about Upper Shore Aging’s Brookletts Place programming please go here.
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