Anticipatory anxiety for the hearing impaired

 

 

Many people are undergoing anxiety or feeling that all is not well, nowadays.

This anxiety relates to 3 major areas :

1. Health - either own health, or health of loved ones.

2. Loss - loss of job, loss of freedom to go anywhere at a moment's notice.

3. Daily routines have changed drastically.

While all are worried about health, it relates more to worry about isolation.  Images of people dying alone have created a fear psychosis or an anticipatory anxiety.  We all worry about our loved ones having to cope up with isolation.

In my case, the anticipatory anxiety relates to my eldest brother [Nagendran] who is hearing impaired.  👂

While he is pretty much independent, and is able to comprehend most things [ a magical ability given by God to the disabled, as they seem to be able to use all their abilities to a heightened level], these days there is an anxiety in my heart - what if he falls ill? 👎😢.  We were prepared for most illnesses, and hospitalisation, as I could be his attendant and stay with him in the hospital.

But COVID 19 has thrown up a unique challenge, that unless all family members fall ill at the same time and have the same degree of infection, we may be in different locations or different wards.

People with hearing disability may experience significant distress if they are isolated from their family members, and are alone in a ward with so many others who are not able to 'speak' to them.

How will he communicate with caregivers who are wearing masks and their expressions or lip movements are not visible? When the healthworkers are overwhelmed with so much work, will they have the time and energy to interact with him [hearing impaired depend on facial expressions, lip movements, body language and the environment around to understand what is going on or what is being said], as the only mode of communication in such circumstances would be write questions like 'how are you, today', and he could write back 'I have a headache', or "I am fine".

Alternative would be , for the healthworker to wear transparent mask or use WhatsApp message communication with my brother, and similar cases.  But again, would they have the time and patience in these days of pandemic  ........ these thoughts come up repetitively in my mind, while constantly praying that 'Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu'...... let everyone be healthy and fine!

I distract myself by repeating to myself that we are following the 3 preventive mantras .......... we are all using masks in public, we are all maintaining distance from others, and we wash our hands whenever we touch any possibly contaminated surface........ so, why worry?

Also, I encourage my brother to continue connecting with friends using Whatsapp video calls, and messages.  This keeps him feeling connected to his hearing impaired friends, and restore a semblance of normalcy as he is unable to meet them.  He is cheerful and full of joy, thankfully.

We are all resilient, mentally and physically, so it is important to find ways to cope up and ride out the storm. 

Every morning, I practice gratitude .  Gratitude for our comparatively privileged situation, gratitude for our good health, and gratitude to the universe in general.    I have minimized watching news, and concentrate on other things like catching up with my reading.  I always tell myself, God is with us always, holding us our hands, and will take us all through this difficult situation, too 🙏🙏