Dodger
April 7th, 2020, 15:56
First and foremost, I hope you maniacs are all doing well.
Isolation sucks...more time on my hands...don't want to bore you...but thought I'd share this with you.
Loneliness caused by social isolation has been proven to wreak havoc on an individual’s physical, mental and cognitive health and is linked to adverse health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life. According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, social isolation also increases the risk of premature death. If this doesn’t make this topic pertinent to all of us, than I don’t know what does.
Over 80% of my friends who are retired expats residing in Thailand live alone and are over the age of 60. According to the experts, these are the most vulnerable people. All seem to be taking pretty much the same approach right now i.e., watching a lot of TV, surfing the internet, chatting on social media, reading books, beating their meat, and walking in circles around their rooms to keep their hearts beating. Of course these are all great things to be doing, especially when considering the lack of alternatives, but these activities in-and-by-themselves, may not be enough.
I have one friend who has added another element to his life to help combat loneliness and depression during this crisis which I believe has a lot of merit. Living alone for the past 6 years since retiring in Thailand, and never wanting to have it any other way, he decided that having a live-in companion during this isolation period may have some merit, which set his wheels in motion.
He contacted a Laotian boy he had met previously at a bar in Jomtien Complex who he really liked being with. The boy had recently lost his job, had no money in his pockets, and couldn’t get home. He offered the boy room & board and a few bucks in his pocket so he could remain fee-earning until this crisis is over, in exchange for his live-in companionship. He apparently told the boy up-front that this arrangement was temporary and would end when the isolation restrictions got lifted.
The boy now has a place to live and food on the table, and will have enough money saved when the restrictions do end, that he’ll be able to either return to the working scene or go home. For my friend, he now has someone to share his time with which can make all the difference in the world. The friend I am referring to is a doctor, practicing in Austria prior to retiring in Thailand. According to him, limiting your interactions to one boy during this pandemic presents very low risk. As you would expect, he made sure the boy he selected wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms before extending the invitation. It’s a win-win situation.
I know that some of you will scoff at my friends actions, but, I for one, would do exactly the same thing if I were living alone.
Good luck to all…if you don't have a Boy Special, find one…it could always be worse.
Cheers
Isolation sucks...more time on my hands...don't want to bore you...but thought I'd share this with you.
Loneliness caused by social isolation has been proven to wreak havoc on an individual’s physical, mental and cognitive health and is linked to adverse health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life. According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, social isolation also increases the risk of premature death. If this doesn’t make this topic pertinent to all of us, than I don’t know what does.
Over 80% of my friends who are retired expats residing in Thailand live alone and are over the age of 60. According to the experts, these are the most vulnerable people. All seem to be taking pretty much the same approach right now i.e., watching a lot of TV, surfing the internet, chatting on social media, reading books, beating their meat, and walking in circles around their rooms to keep their hearts beating. Of course these are all great things to be doing, especially when considering the lack of alternatives, but these activities in-and-by-themselves, may not be enough.
I have one friend who has added another element to his life to help combat loneliness and depression during this crisis which I believe has a lot of merit. Living alone for the past 6 years since retiring in Thailand, and never wanting to have it any other way, he decided that having a live-in companion during this isolation period may have some merit, which set his wheels in motion.
He contacted a Laotian boy he had met previously at a bar in Jomtien Complex who he really liked being with. The boy had recently lost his job, had no money in his pockets, and couldn’t get home. He offered the boy room & board and a few bucks in his pocket so he could remain fee-earning until this crisis is over, in exchange for his live-in companionship. He apparently told the boy up-front that this arrangement was temporary and would end when the isolation restrictions got lifted.
The boy now has a place to live and food on the table, and will have enough money saved when the restrictions do end, that he’ll be able to either return to the working scene or go home. For my friend, he now has someone to share his time with which can make all the difference in the world. The friend I am referring to is a doctor, practicing in Austria prior to retiring in Thailand. According to him, limiting your interactions to one boy during this pandemic presents very low risk. As you would expect, he made sure the boy he selected wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms before extending the invitation. It’s a win-win situation.
I know that some of you will scoff at my friends actions, but, I for one, would do exactly the same thing if I were living alone.
Good luck to all…if you don't have a Boy Special, find one…it could always be worse.
Cheers