Meet Alice
Alice Waring is a shining example of the positivity and resilience demonstrated by older people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
At a time when social distancing and “restrictions” might leave people feeling lonely or isolated, Alice has kept herself busy by going for walks, keeping in touch with friends and extended family, checking in on neighbours, listening to religious services on the radio, and treating herself to good food and fresh flowers.
Alice is a wonderful active older person who found the restrictions really difficult but did all she could to maintain her mental and physical health.
Community Support Worker Noelle Jennings
Alice credits COPE Galway with supporting her through the difficult past year. “They’re one of the greats,” she said.
A Renmore resident, originally from Dublin, she has always liked helping out and raising money for causes she supports.
“I suppose I’m good for going out with a jar and putting it under people’s noses,” Alice joked about her own fundraising efforts. “I don’t take no for an answer! But it’s all for a good cause.”
She also joked that she’s ‘a little bit nosey, for want of a better word’ and always makes sure to check in on her neighbours. She’s found it hard since restrictions have also put a temporary halt to social events for the tight-knit community she lives in.
Like many others, Alice found the third Level 5 lockdown the most challenging, as it even put a stop to her rare shopping trips to town. “I’m a bit of a goer, I’d attempt anything,” she said, but she went on to say that she understood the health and safety concerns as someone who is in her seventies. “But I am quite active and thank goodness for that.”
“Two years ago, my niece took me on the trip of a lifetime to California. It was absolutely gorgeous,” she said, adding how grateful she was to have taken the trip before the onset of Covid-19 travel restrictions. “I think it actually kept me together [through the past year].”
“But it can be hard, not being able to get to town, and coffee shops, there’s a thing I miss! There’s nothing like a nice, proper cup of coffee. When I used to go to town all the lads knew me and my cappuccinos!”
Alice
Nonetheless, Alice makes an effort to get out and about.
“You have to watch when you go for walks that there aren’t too many people around. There’s a park near where I live and I go around that two or three times per day if the weather is fine. And I’ve just taken on an exercise classes on Zoom. I was aching from head to toe!”
I’m trying to learn Zoom as well, now that’s something we didn’t grow up with at all … It’s amazing the amount of people you try and keep in touch with.
Alice
She has found the Acorn tablet provided by COPE Galway through Galway City Partnership very helpful for navigating the Internet and uses it to watch religious services, which she has missed attending.