Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
Small actions can be meaningful
I am a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in gerontology in the Bangor area. I have worked with older adults within long term care facilities in the past and I have always observed the disconnect between community and facility. They often lack volunteers to sit with people, volunteers to just be with another, to share their presence.
During this time of COVID-19 and with the holidays arriving, older adults in these settings are struggling with isolation, loneliness, sadness that they cannot connect with family/friends. Boredom is an enemy right now and is trying to steal the joy and livelihood from these folks; a phone call, a puzzle, can do wonders for the unoccupied mind.
Loneliness can lead to premature death as well as states of depression within this population. Depression in older adults can lead to premature death, cause memory challenges, impact appetite, increase levels of hopelessness as well as helplessness.
I would encourage the community to contact their local long term care facilities to see what you can do for their residents. Is there a way to increase a sense of connection safely? Sending cards can be helpful, children’s drawings, letters of encouragement to let people know they are not alone. Reach out — see what you can do. You would be surprised how much a small action can turn into a meaningful one that gives another a ray of light and hope for another day.
Richard Lenfest-Gilbert
Hampden
Legislators should set an example
The headline of the lead story on page one of the BDN on Thursday, Dec. 3, read “ Pandemic-altered session begins.”
The story was about the Legislature meeting to kick off the new session. The photo accompanying the article showed members of the House spaced appropriately at tables, and as far as I could tell, masks were in place. However, further on in the article was the sentence, “Members were mostly masked up — a requirement to use the Augusta Civic Center…” This implies that there were those present who were not wearing masks.
If there were members of the Legislature who were without masks, I want to know who they were. I want to know because if it was someone representing my district, I will work as hard as possible in the future to see that person is never elected to anything again! If the person who is too selfish to wear a piece of cloth on their face to protect others is counting on my vote to return them to Augusta they are in for disappointment! If someone did not have a mask on, no matter who they were, they should have been removed since they were breaking the rules of the building.
Members of the Legislature should be examples of correct behavior, not rule-breakers who have no sense of responsibility for the rest of us. Non-mask wearers should have been escorted from the building. They could have joined the other unmasked people outside spreading germs in their anti-mask protest.
Sue Shaw
Penobscot
COVID-19 data suggestion
Like so many others, I am incredibly grateful for the BDN’s daily coverage of the statewide coronavirus count and breakdown. However, as the numbers of cases soars, I can no longer restrain myself from begging you to represent most of the data in tabular form.
This would have the advantage of easy readability and comparison between and within each county and category. For those of us, I suspect very many, who follow the articles on a smartphone, formatting table(s) specifically for those would be most appreciated.
Darryl Hoffman
Hampden