For Older Adults, The Internet Has Become A University, A Gym, A Support Group, And A Coffee Shop
/As we cross the mid-point of 2021, older adults are starting to enjoy going out again, resuming work, and doing some light traveling, but many are still reluctant to re-join their gyms, attend crowded events, or engage in enclosed venues with people they don’t know. This is especially true for people with compromised immune systems or other conditions which may still make them vulnerable to Covid-19. However, thanks to online communities, staying safe does not sentence anyone to a life of inactivity, loneliness, or boredom. It’s important to also note that many older adults were active and engaged throughout the pandemic, and for some, that took stepping out of their comfort zone, technologically speaking
During most of 2020 and into 2021, being social required being online. Kids did it for school; parents had to be online to understand what was required of them in schooling their kids; mid-life adults were online for work. Retired adults could have isolated themselves and sunk into a lonely depression, with only the occasional Zoom meeting with their kids and grandkids. However, a variety of organizations, both new and old, saw the gap and rose to the occasion with a cornucopia of opportunities for men and women who were faced with an imposed isolation of indefinite length.