Social Isolation as a High-Risk Elder
It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint A friend said this had been the longest month of her life. I paused. Qatar University switched to distance learning on March 10. Had it been the longest seven weeks of my life? The answer is no. I've had practice. In 2005, I had a tri-malear fracture of my left ankle just before Christmas. While friends gathered for celebrations, I sat home with my leg elevated for 8 weeks. The injury set off a cascade of related events. Two years later, as the cartilage failed, I had ankle fusion surgery. That required ten weeks of social isolation, recovering with my leg propped up on pillows in bed. But, in week 8 or 9, I fell out of a car door trying to get to my wheeled walker and broke my sternum. That was another four to six weeks back in bed, now hopping around on one leg the short distance to my bedside potty chair. I saw my nurses, my housekeeper, and a few friends during those three months. Luckily, I had tw...