agewell 2020 new 8.21_11-16_final

Coping With Isolation
in Quarantine
Ms. Patricia Estrada Offers Insight Into
Finding The Silver Lining
By Monique Houston
Ms. Patricia Estrada has enjoyed life as a Long
Beach resident for the past seven years. “I am
originally from South Los Angeles, so moving
to a beach town was an adjustment for me, but
I really enjoy the small town vibe,” she says.
Ms. Estrada is a naturally social person who
loves spending time with friends. Being popular
among the friends she has made as a part
of Ida’s Readers, a book club within The Heart
of Ida, and weekly exercise and yoga group sessions;
being in self-quarantine has proven to be
quite the challenge for her. “ I am fortunate to
have made so many friends,” she pauses, “but
being in isolation means that I’m physically cut
off from my support system.”
During her childhood, Ms. Estrada was raised by
her parents to be kind to people, speak to her
neighbors and to actually take an active part of
her surrounding community; so it is not abnormal
for her to spark up conversations with others.
“I will always find a way to talk with somebody,
even if it’s a person working at a grocery
store. They can be the person who picks up my
trash.”
Although Ms. Estrada misses going to the movies,
meeting up with friends at The Senior Center
and attending water aerobics classes at her
local gym, she has managed to keep in contact
with her buddies through weekly phone calls, as
well as sending postcards and notes and letters
to others that may not have access to technological
devices. Her group of friends depend on
each other to uplift one another during times of
difficulty, so the regular check-ins help to ease
some of the loneliness that can come with isolation.
The group also routinely takes shorts walks
around Shoreline Village to ensure they incorporate
some light exercise into their weeks.
Ms. Estrada looks fondly on her time spent at
The Heart of Ida and considers herself fortunate
to have made connections that have helped
make life easier. “ I received a walker and a cane
from The Heart of Ida. I can walk to the market
and the beach,” she explains. She remains hopeful
and upbeat, and shares that she enjoys seeing the
families in her neighborhood walk to the beach
because “it seems that life is trying to get back to
normal.”
www.HeartofIda.org | 13