2020 So Many Lessons

Last December I was looking back over a year that had seen the birth of TDWRadio and wondering what the next 12 months had in store. Like everyone else I had no clue what was lurking on the horizon as we swung into 2020. It wasn't until February turned into March that things began to really change although even then the enormity of what was going to hit hadn't sunk in. Knee jerked into lockdown it seemed like it was everyone for themselves as far as our leaders were concerned. People living on their own, carers and care homes were all left trying to survive.

We understood a little about the virus but again it seemed like the experts were giving conflicting views and even when they did come to a consensus they were often ignored. Care homes were forced to accept discharged COVID patients who then predictably passed the virus round with alarming ease. I heard of one care home manager who literally sat down in front of an ambulance to protect her residents. Even when the summer brought a temporary respite the rules seemed to make little sense. Crowds could flock to beaches to queque for ice creams but controlled visits to thos people locked away from their loved ones were considered too risky.

We all need social contact and for people living with dementia that need is a must. Lock someone away from their friends and family and the results are sadly inevitable. In the midst of all this we've had remarkable stories of the bravery of carers and those care home staff who moved in with their residents to protect them. All that while Colonel Tom was doing laps of his garden proving age is no barrier to making a valuable contribution to society.

2020 has brought out the worst and the best of people. Those mask less protesters complaining about lockdowns their actions were creating, and those people spreading ridiculous rumours about vaccines which have at last produced some light at the end of a long tunnel being examples. They though are in the minority compared to the heroes in the NHS, the carers, care home staff and good neighbours who have done their utmost to try to safeguard us all. We should also celebrate a vaccine allocation system which puts the most vulnerable at the front of the queue.

So as 2021 rears its head on the horizon I'll be thinking of those friends and relatives who won't be seeing in a new year and hope that as a society we will become stronger for the lessons learned in 2020.