COVID: One Year Later
BY JILL DAVIS
Remember making a dinner
reservation and not thinking
much about it? Or when
scheduling an appointment for a
haircut, doctor or dentist was routine?
More important, how about
those get-togethers with family
and friends and the celebrations
of a holiday, birthday, wedding or
graduation?
For most of us, the year 2020 is
a painful blur and we can scarcely
remember much prior to March 22,
2020, when NYS was shut down
and all except essential personnel
were ordered to “shelter in place.”
Although news of the novel coronavirus
having hit the West Coast
happened in January, it took a little
time to reach New York…and
when it did, it was a viral tsunami.
Face masks became the new norm
(do you remember how hard they
were to get at the beginning?), and
the term “social distancing” was
suddenly part of everyone’s regular
vocabulary.
The one year mark of the pandemic
prompted North Shore
Towers resident Karen Perry to
wonder what life has been like for
its residents these past months.
Karen explained, “I wondered
how this pandemic has hit our
North Shore Towers community
in people's hearts and spirits. How
has it has impacted relationships
with neighbors, friends, family?
Has it influenced their hopes for
the future? I’m hoping that by sharing
our experiences, it will be one
way for people to feel less alone
through this whole thing.”
Karen, along with Arlene
Greenwood and Eleanor Ulrich,
conducted nearly 30 interviews
with NST residents, staff and
business owners to find out how
they felt and coped, what they’ve
observed over the past year and
look forward to in the future.
Naturally, the results here reflect
only a fraction of North Shore
Towers’ population, but hopefully
they are things that everyone can
relate to.
THE EMOTIONAL TOLL
Much has been written in journals
and the general media about
the emotional impact the pandemic
has had on us; to say that these
months have affected everyone is
overstating the obvious. After all,
we’re social creatures, and being
basically locked up for months,
in many cases as if in solitary
confinement, can do a number
on your psyche.
In case you hadn’t noticed,
North Shore Towers is a very
active place, and many residents
are a part of one or more of its
clubs. The sudden suspension of
activities in the Country Club and
residents’ clubs left many without
their usual social outlets and distanced
from their friends. Men’s
Club member Howard Arkin said,
“The greatest impact is the lack
of social contact…I especially
miss meeting club members for
breakfast at Buffy’s.” Similar sentiments
were shared among many
residents who, during normal
times, would be busy coordinating,
scheduling and attending club and
community events.
But, as would be expected,
Towers’ residents miss their families
most of all. “I haven’t seen my
grandchildren in months; almost
a year; a year and a half” was an
all-too common theme. “Lonely,”
“frustrated” and “isolated” by this
abnormal normal were how many
people described themselves.
Bottom line, they miss the hugs.
NST resident Dee-Dee Goidel
expressed a sense of overall bewilderment
at the entire experience.
“I once described my life during
the pandemic as living in one
of Rod Serling’s ‘Twilight Zone’
episodes,” she said. “Sheltering at
home gives you a feeling of being
suspended in time and space...a
feeling of uncertainty.”
A sense of uncertainty can often
lead to fear, which was another
word that came up often in the
interviews. The worry about contracting
the virus was (and still
is) pervasive. A number of people
were afraid of riding the elevators
or being too physically close to
someone, despite wearing a mask
(which alone made some people
angry). Sadly, many did become
ill and thankfully, many survived.
But many did not. Many NST residents
lost a loved one, and even
more knew someone who had. For
these, their fears were compounded
tenfold by the grief of their loss.
Fortunately, the most negative
emotions seem to be easing, at
least a bit, for many residents.
The development of effective
vaccines in rapid fire time has
provided a desperately needed
ray of hope, despite its presently
slow distribution. As people await
easier availability, residents have
found amazing and inspiring ways
to cope.
COPING THROUGH THE
PANDEMIC
North Shore Towers’ residents
are a resilient bunch, that’s for
sure. Reading more, watching
TV more and cooking more are
activities that have been taken
up by many. For some, this has
been a good thing: “I’m enjoying
reading the entire newspaper,” one
resident said. For others, things are
a little too sedentary and include
“too many trips to the refrigerator”
(we can all relate to that).
Many participants in this informal
survey noticed changes in others’
behavior over the past months.
Some observed that people were
retreating from one another.
“People pass and don’t look you
in the eye,” one resident said. Still,
most have seen “people being
more caring and considerate.”
Country Club Manager Mary
Anne Langone typically deals
with many, many residents on a
regular basis and has witnessed
both sides of the coin. “Covid has
put a stop to most social activities
Buffy’s has been closed off and on for a year
8 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ March 2021