This episode begins a series within a series of this show, featuring seniors sharing stories from within quarantine.
My first guest is Lloyd Hetherington. Lloyd moved into The Village of Riverside Glen the day before they went into total quarantine. From the inside, Lloyd has experienced nothing but positivity and support and care from the staff. On his own, prior to the pandemic, taking care of himself had become a struggle, and he feels he is far safer where he is now. Inspired by the stories of his fellow seniors, and the hard work of the front line-essential workers, Lloyd was disheartened that every story he saw of seniors' centres portrayed in the news has been one of fear, illness and isolation. Riverside Glen currently has no cases of COVID. He was interviewed by the media, and his quote was shortened to a short sound-bite that misconstrued Lloyd's story, further perpetuating a sad narrative. So he reached out to the recreational staff at Riverside Glen, and requested the opportunity to share his story, and the stories of his fellow residents for radio. They reached out to me, and for the next few weeks many of these stories will find their way onto CFRU's airwaves and onto this show.
Lloyd was wonderful for kicking off this idea, and he brings many good stories along with him. Lloyd is a self-described "child of the world", with an exciting life including more than a decade living in Zambia. He feels like seniors can have a tendency to minimize the value of their stories and wisdom. He understands that it's a very real challenge, maintaining a sense of self, and letting yourself be vulnerable to forming new relationships together. But he feels it is so important, and wants to share that. He thinks there are lessons to be learned from this pandemic: We are not islands. The world has thrived after past disasters, but it can't stay in a constant state of thriving, it needs to pause and to heal. We could look for doom and gloom, but there are bright spots as well. We're very excited to share his story.
This interview was originally recorded on June 2nd 2020.
