“It’s About Time To Respect The Elderly”

"It is time to respect the elderly in your environment and in your family." said Aegean Geriatrics Foundation’s General Secretary Mevlut Ulgen and pointed out that behaviors towards individuals over the age of 65 who were ordered curfew under the coronavirus epidemic measures should not be discriminated against. 

Let’s begin with the #Wearehome campaign…

As the Aegean Geriatrics Foundation and the Aegean Tazelenme University, we are carrying out “The Way to Share Loneliness in the Days of Corona: #Wearehome” campaign. We aim to take measures against the disease and to overcome loneliness and boredom with social sharing and solidarity during the days of Corona. It is known that the disease is more severe in individuals over 65 years old with chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. As the social restraint measures increase to protect individuals over 65 from the epidemic, we aim to offer psychosocial support to them during this period. We want to draw attention to the support and solidarity that will help them morally and that will contribute to this process. In this context, we especially want individuals aged 65 and over to share how they spend their time with their loved ones in their homes under the hashtag #Wearehome.

We want to visit each other via posts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. It will be good for everyone in this troubled days to spend the moments we have with our loved ones in our homes more enjoyable to share a cake we bake or to film our chats and share them on social media with the hashtag #Wearehome.

The ones who have participated in our campaign shot videos to cheer themselves up. We have already started to share each other’s loneliness and support each other. We wish to spread the campaign across Turkey. In this period, it is among the activities of our foundation to provide preventive information and share protective information for the elderly individuals over the age 65 with chronic diseases.

 “We Draw Attention For This Not To Turn Into Age Discrimination”

How would you consider the things done towards individuals over 65 years old?

Legal practices to prevent people over the age of 65 from leaving their houses are mostly aimed protecting them and reducing the negative effects of the epidemic. This application is actually necessary for all individuals. For this, we launched the #Wearehome campaign. We are faced with the fact that we are going through a very important epidemic. In this context, it is our social and individual responsibility to comply with the 14-day rule stated in the “Coronavirus is not stronger than the measures we will take” campaign launched by the Ministry of Health within the framework of the action plan against the Coronavirus. We say it is our vital duty.

It is very important for our health to comply with the measures taken in this period at the highest level. We shouldn’t forget the following reality: As public authorities and the public, our collective struggle, public and individual sensitivity and solidarity will stop the epidemic. We can control the epidemic with approaches and policies that emphasize social awareness and solidarity, and thus we can achieve success in the fight against the epidemic. Of course, public protective measures and social policies are also very important in this period. We see and emphasize the approaches and policies that facilitate access to basic needs and services such as programs towards meeting the daily needs of individuals at risk and approaches that help ease the access to food, shelter, to health and social protection.

How do you consider the emphasis that all of the people who lost their lives due to the coronavirus epidemic are “older” and what is done about the people over 65 who go out?

This is a very significant situation. We agree with special emphasis on approaches to protecting the elderly and those with chronic diseases, but this should be done in a way that would not cause discrimination and false perceptions. False facts and rhetoric use as the disease in the community is only specific to the elderly and has only fatal consequences for the elderly, negatively affect the struggle. It causes age discrimination and ostracisation. It causes a false perception as if the disease will only be transmitted from the elderly. We try to prevent transmission to the elderly when we talk about limiting physical contact with the elderly, staying at home and complying with the measures of restriction of social relations while paying attention to protective measures. Many people can survive the disease without a lot of symptoms or they can carry the virus without any symptoms and without knowing. That’s why we emphasize staying at home more for the elderly, in order to protect the elderly from them as well. Measures should be taken without forgetting the fact that the older age group is at higher risk, especially individuals over 65 years old with chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but we should pay attention to what we say or share. I think we should stay away from discrimination and approaches that would cause demoralization. We cannot win this fight with individuals who are pessimistic and desperate, or who suffer from depression, high anxiety, panic or fear. Their compliance with these measures would be problematic as well. Continuous emphasis on epidemic, disease and death of the elderly increases the anxiety of death, if not paid attention. It damages the struggle. As long as we highlight social struggle, solidarity and cheering up, we can achieve success in this struggle. Strengthening the immune system, the most effective method against the virus, is also valid for social life. Strengthening our social and individual immune system, keeping up hope and spirit alive are crucial in the fight against the virus.

“The Fight Will Only Be Won By High Spirits and Motivation”

What do you think about this situation to be defined as “ageism”? 

I already told that false news and rhetoric saying that the disease in the community is specific to the elderly and has fatal consequences only for the elderly negatively affect the struggle and cause age discrimination and exclusion. I see worrisome news and social media posts on this subject. There are false tendencies that consider the elderly as the carriers of the epidemic. This is a dangerous situation. Let’s not forget that everyone can be a carrier of the virus at any age and has the potential to spread and get infected during the outbreak. Older individuals and elderly people with chronic illnesses can experience the disease more heavily and carry more life risks. It should not be accredited to incomplete and incorrect information which are not based on scientific knowledge and evidence and not disclosed by health authorities.

It will be good to treat the elderly who are among the most affected of this period more carefully, and to ensure that the protective measures taken for the elderly do not turn into age discrimination. It is very important to be in solidarity with the elderly and to offer support whenever they want. It is just about time to respect the elderly in your family and in our environment. Respect is not only shown by words or behavior. It will be the best behavior to protect them from the effects of the virus, to deal with their nutrition and health, to cheer them up and to benefit from their experiences, to chat with them in accordance with the rules and to facilitate their daily lives. You may not seem sick, but you may be a carrier of the virus, please be very careful when in close contact with them. Respect and love can be demonstrated in this period by physically staying away from our loved ones and by strengthening the bond of heart.

How does media affect the “tagging” of elderly people?

Such times are the periods when people’s perceptions and sensibilities raise and they become open. News pollution, urban legends and conspiracy theories that spread from mouth to mouth increase anxiety and drag people to panic. Too much exposure to news of epidemic danger among social media and / or television programs can increase anxiety and panic. In case of fear and panic, making healthy decisions becomes difficult. The increase in the level of stress and that terrified state threatens our physical and mental health as humans. It makes it difficult to fight the epidemic. It causes depression. At such times, reliable and sufficient information is very important. It is vital for public authorities to give confidence to the society and to share reliable and healthy information. The unreliable approach of public authorities increases the area of uncertainty. It makes it difficult for the society to fight the epidemic. It damages the feeling of unity and solidarity. It negatively affects individuals’ compliance and belief in the measures taken. In such periods, we all have great responsibilities as public authorities, scientists, health professional organizations and individuals. It should not be forgotten that sufficient information from the right sources would be enough and the main thing is to take precautions and keep the spirits up. Excess news content creates mental and emotional burdens. It creates pessimism and despair and we should be careful about that.

What do you suggest to pull through this process?

In the case where we are carriers, social isolation and distance measures included in the coronavirus preventions are the most effective way to protect ourselves and others. These essential measures of vital importance lead to radically changing our daily life practices. This leaves us with many deprivations and limitations that we need to adapt and get used to. Limitations and deprivations and changing the usual lifestyle or disruption of daily routine are sources of stress for people. It can lead to feelings of tension, restlessness, anger. It can lead to increased levels of fear, anxiety, despair, and depression. In this period, it is important to maintain and sustain our daily routine as much as possible which we are accustomed to. Daily routines such as sleeping, showering, brushing our teeth, eating etc. should be done without interruption. Maintaining our personal care (shaving, makeup, etc.), which is in our daily routine, will make us feel good. It is important to keep our spirits and motivation up to stay away from the mess or nonchalance that will lower our energy of life. It will be good to ventilate our house frequently, to do light exercises that are not too tiring and difficult.

“It’s Time To Take Care Of Ourselves And Each”

In this period, we can protect ourselves and our loved ones by following the precautions at the highest level and by paying attention to our physical and mental health. We can reduce the destruction of this process and shorten it. Let’s not forget that our survival motive is very strong, it is a motive that makes human. Another important factor that makes people strong is mutual relationship, solidarity, and physical and spiritual contact. Although there are limitations in bodily contact in this period, it will be good for all of us to increase the heart contact as well as the solidarity.

Restriction of social relationships and quarantine measures can also offer ourselves an opportunity to think and reconsider what we do or where we go in the face of the chaos and towards the hustle and bustle of life, as well as to integrate with nature and ourselves. Our way of evaluating this process is very important. It would be beneficial to have a healthy and balanced nutrition, sleep regularly, to exercise, to have walks in fresh air where you can benefit from the sun and daylight, or even to move. Keeping our social relationships alive and being in touch and interacting with the people you love, will increase our psychological resilience. It can turn into an opportunity to develop better relationships with family members, get to know each other better and spend more time together. Creative and productive activities, games, conversations will both strengthen our family ties and enable us to survive this difficult time. Open yourself breathing spaces in your life and start on books, sports, gardening, music, crafts or art, so that your psychological resilience and resistance will be increased. Watching movies, playing games with the family members, spending time on your hobbies that you haven’t been able to spare time for a long time, doing yoga and meditation, returning to your inner self, returning to each other, keeping in touch with your family, friends, neighbors and sharing and solidarity will help you overcome this challenging period.