The coronavirus pandemic sweeping through the UK and the world has hit the elderly and the most vulnerable in society the hardest.
As people over the age of 70 are advised to self-isolate for months to help protect themselves – isolation and loneliness is something that is severely affecting our Ekta-Unity elderly service users.
For Ekta-Unity, helping and supporting our elderly service users has never been more important than it is today. We have no clue when the enforced lockdown will be over and normal life will resume. The unknown is triggering anxiety as many of our service users live alone and will be spending the next few months stuck indoors with no company and feeling extremely cut off.
With our service users confined to their homes, it has been essential for Ekta-Unity to find different ways to keep them occupied. While the recent lovely spring weather is making us frustrated about what we are missing out on during the stay-at-home directive, the time of year also can be seen as a silver lining to the cloud. The longer days and improving weather means that we can at least enjoy the flourishing of nature. Time spend outdoors will undoubtedly make them feel better while working the garden is an ideal way not only to exercise but also to occupy the mind – and becoming absorbed in a task can make the hours fly by.
Ekta-Unity’s next ‘care pack’ that we will be sending to all our service users next week, will include flowering seeds, which they can sow and grow themselves in their gardens, window ledge, etc.
Already, Mohinder Mudhar along with other service users has been using their time in their gardens by growing flowers, spinach, carrots, runner beans, butternut squash, basil, thyme, coriander, radish, mint, pumpkin, chilli, courgettes and rosemary.
Please see photographs below that our service users have sent to us.
Suman Ghaiwal
Chair
Ekta Unity
