That’s a picture, courtesy of my sister Marilee, of our Lincoln Park Village class meeting in 2016.
Happy anniversary! It’s been a year now that we’ve featured essays by writers in my memoir classes on the Safe & Sound blog every week. The writers in all my classes are on Spring Break now, so here I am with a short piece boasting about the strength they’ve exhibited since the shutdown in March 2020.
We all know this past year has been a real test of resilience, but if you’ve kept up with the weekly Saturdays with Seniors feature, I hope you’ve been buoyed by story after story from older adults armed with first-hand experience, knowledge and skills that have helped them cope with decades of challenges. To me it was no surprise to hear that studies are showing that older adults were less likely to experience pandemic-related anxiety, depression and stress then younger groups. From the Journal of the American Medical Association:
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread in the US in early 2020, older adults experienced disproportionately greater adverse effects from the pandemic including more severe complications, higher mortality, concerns about disruptions to their daily routines and access to care, difficulty in adapting to technologies like telemedicine, and concerns that isolation would exacerbate existing mental health conditions, (but studies show that) older adults tend to have lower stress reactivity, and in general, better emotional regulation and well-being than younger adults.
An August 2020 survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed adults aged 65 and older were less likely to have anxiety, depression, and trauma or stress-related disorder (TSRD) than people in younger age groups. Results from some other studies:
- A study in Spain revealed that adults aged 60-80 had lower rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than adults age 40-59.
- A study in the Netherlands showed that, although loneliness increased during the pandemic, adults over age 65 didn’t see a big change in mental health.
- When 776 adults from the U.S. and Canada were asked to keep a diary about daily stressors, events, and the virus’ emotional impact, adults over age 60 more often reported positive events and emotions.
I started leading memoir-writing classes in 2005, which means I’ve had the privilege of hearing weekly stories of resilience for 16 years now. What have they taught me? That having people to lean on in difficult times can make a huge difference, and that, sometimes, the best we can do to stay strong is maintain and build those trusted relationships with others. So a big shout -out to all the writers who generously agreed to share their own 500-word personal stories with others every week on the Saturdays with Seniors feature here — enjoy your well-deserved Spring Breaks!
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