Swiss Review 4/2020

Swiss Review / July 2020 / No.4 SUSANNE WENGER Pro Senectute launched a campaign inmid-May, just as Switzerland began to ease the lockdown. The short video shows elderly people doing various jobs and activities – such as Lola (66) reading a bedtime story to her grand- daughter, and Henri (84) trimming his neighbours’ hedge. The clip ends with the tag line “Elderly and indis- pensable”. Pro Senectute is a Swiss non-profit organisation that has been serving the elderly for over a century. Its current campaign is a reaction to how COVID-19 has radically nar- rowed our view of older people. Any- one aged 65 or over belongs to the high-risk group. At the beginning of the crisis, the Federal Office of Public Health announced that elderly people were especially vulnerable and needed protection. The infection statistics prove that the older you are, the more likely you are to die of COVID-19. But the disease also affects younger people, as we now know. Almost half of the people who ended up in intensive care in Switzer- land were under 60. However, we knew less at the start of the outbreak in mid-March than we do now. The government urged older people espe- cially to stay at home, avoid contact with others, and refrain fromgoing to the supermarket. Barring exceptions, the elderly followed these instruc- tions to the letter. Collective isolation These instructions were issued on medical grounds. But they also had social consequences. Switzerland’s over-65s, who account for a popula- COVID-19 and the older generation The high-risk group Older people felt the effects of the lockdown in particular. They received help and support from the rest of the population, but were also made scapegoats. The epidemic has put intergenerational relations to the test. 8 Focus Separated by a protec- tive screen: son Daniel visiting father Reymont at a care home in Le Locle (left) Spontaneous solidarity, socially distanced: do- nations for people in need in Zurich (middle) Improvisation required: a makeshift hospital in the sports hall Rämibühl in Zurich (right) Photos: Keystone tion of 1.6 million, were sent into col- lective isolation. The cantons banned visits to care homes – a move that caused much anguish but failed to prevent fatalities. The overwhelming majority of older people in Switzer- land live at home. Birthdays had to be spent alone, as the elderly suddenly found themselves cut off from the outside world. Pensioners were also unable to fulfil their societal duties. Nomore looking after grandchildren. No more charity work. Caritas Swit- zerland suffered volunteer shortages as a result. A large proportion of Swiss pen- sioners do voluntarywork. Many stay fit and active long after retirement, not least on account of good health- care and a good quality of life. Their contribution to society is significant in a country that relies heavily on in-