While Australia is adapting to our “new normal” as the immediate threat of COVID-19 wanes, the United Kingdom is being thrust back into strict lockdown as infection numbers continue to rise.
As the weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and the holiday season approaches, Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100 year old war veteran spoke to the ‘Mentally Yours’ podcast, hosted by Metro.co.uk, about the importance of reaching out to grandparents and older people in communities to help battle loneliness.
“Send someone a little Christmas card or a little message over Christmas, you could call them on the phone, a face call I am sure would be the happiest thing,” he said.
“You can go all over the world [with FaceTime], it’s not just the next street, if you can speak to someone miles away and let them see your smiling face… I am sure they will be delighted, I certainly would be.”
Sir Tom urged the importance of reaching out to people who were most at risk of becoming isolated over the holiday season as the country reenters lockdown, saying that the simple act of just going to “knock on the door” of neighbours and loved ones to check that they are doing alright could make all the difference.
“Try and make contact with them,” he said.
“Those that need help but don’t know it, they are in a position where it is up to us to put them into contact with someone who is mentally capable of helping them.”
He also said that younger people who are also feeling lonely or isolated during this time could benefit from talking to the older generation and learning from their wisdom and experiences, particularly those who had lived through the war and other difficult times.
“Find out as much information as you can from your parents and your grandparents and store that knowledge for the future because when the old people have gone, that information is also gone.”
Sir Tom, who rose to fame as a beacon of hope during the first lockdown also offered some advice on how to get through this second round. Harkening back to his daily mantra of “tomorrow will be a good day” while walking 100 laps of his yard and raising over £32 million for the NHS, Sir Tom told the public to take each day as it comes.
“So many people are not feeling very happy at the moment, I think it is up to us wherever we can to give a little bit of kindness to everyone, even if it’s hard,” he said.
“At the moment we have got a lockdown and there’s so many days ahead. If people just think yesterday is one day of the lockdown that’s gone, today is going to be another one and tomorrow is going to be another day.
“Gradually we are getting through the lockdown…gradually it is getting less and less, day by day, and what was today is now yesterday.
“Let’s look forward to the future and if ever you see people walking about, give them a little smile and see if they will smile back, because a little smile won’t do any harm to you or to them.”
Image Source: Captain Tom Moore Twitter @captaintommoore
