After 15 months of extraordinary upheaval, the news gets a bit better each day. While figuring out what “normal” will look like, the area’s older residents appear optimistic. They can’t wait to get back to visiting friends and family, and sitting down to savor a meal in a restaurant.
We asked a few locals to tell us what they’re most looking forward to as the pandemic gradually eases its grip on the metro area.
Karen Bremer, 62
Missing friends and family get-togethers tops the list of tough-times challenges for Fairburn resident Karen Bremer. “I haven’t seen my new granddaughter in almost a year,” she said. “In our age group, so many friends have been keeping themselves away from other people.”
But as the president and CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association, not being able to eat out is a close second. “I finally started going to restaurants in the latter half of the year — masked and socially distanced,” she said. “I’m very optimistic about the future. There is such a pent-up demand for Americans to break bread with families and friends.”
Pandemic-driven technology that’s played an important role in restaurant operations is likely to stay, Bremer said, mentioning touchless menus and QR coded menus. “When this started, a lot of restaurants didn’t have a website, let alone ecommerce. It’s been great to see how quickly the industry has embraced technology and figured out how to do online ordering, carryout, pickup and drive-thru.”
COVID did make some aspects of life easier, Bremer points out. “Meetings now are more organized and focused. As much as people say they don’t like Zoom meetings, if you keep it to half an hour and it’s organized, it’s a time saver. And you still get to see people and hear their voices.”
Stuart Gulley, 59
Gulley recently visited with his parents and adult children for the first time in 14 months. “Those family events and traveling are things I’ve missed most,” the College Park resident said. “We’re going to Yellowstone in June — with our siblings and their spouses. It’s something we always wanted to do, and the pandemic was a reminder not to put off what we can do while we’re able.”
As president of Woodward Academy, Gulley is glad the school stayed opened through the past year. “We offered all-remote options, and about a third elected to do that. Technology allowed remote and in-person learning together, so we could accomplish what we wanted from an academic standpoint. But it was exhausting for our faculty.”
But some pandemic pivots will still stand, he said. “We learned that we can use technology in ways that solve problems we face: scheduling parents for teacher conferences or co-curricular events, for instance. We’ll continue to do things by Zoom to make it easier for parents and teachers.”
Gulley sees positive signs for the future. “Based on everything I’m reading and seeing, I’m encouraged,” he said. “We’ll have freedoms we haven’t had in the last year.”
One choice Gulley plans to keep: viewing movies at home. “My wife and I went to movie theaters a lot, but now that we’ve learned how to use Prime and Netflix, we’ll be more apt to watch at home.”
Debra Hawkins, 65
The retired sale executive has a long list of “missed” COVID opportunities: visiting her 96-year-old mom, meeting friends, going to church, finding everything on her grocery list in stock. “I’m also a hugger,” she said. “I’ve really missed that.”
For the Kennesaw resident, virtual has replaced physical so much that she’s given herself a new name: Boomer Zoomer. “If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have that catchy phrase. People complain it’s not the same as being in a room with others, but would you prefer not to see them at all? For older Americans, it’s vital to have this technology so we can be connected. I’ve been online with people from my church, from around the country, from around the world. And I like that I can order online and get curbside pickup.”
Hawkins said she is hopeful about the future, as long as people don’t expect a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. “We’ve got to realize that things aren’t going back to ‘normal.’ There will be more access to technology, and we’ll see the benefits of working remotely. As we get older, we tend to get mentally stuck and think we want everything to stay the way it has been. We’ve got to change that mindset.”
Roger Pett, 84
The Kennesaw resident has been hunkered down at home with his wife, Ena, and awaiting the day they can return to their church, First Christian Disciples of Christ in Marietta. “Much of my social life centers around our small church, and I’ve missed attending live,” he said. “Online has been effective, and we’ve opened up for masked folks, but I miss the camaraderie and conversations that occur after church, the potlucks and the social gatherings.” Pett is optimistic those gatherings will restart soon.
One thing post-COVID time won’t change: Pett’s fascination with crossword puzzles. “I’d done them before but not with the kind of enthusiasm I have now,” he said. “My reading has also expanded, and those are good things I’ll keep.”
Kathleen Ackermann, 71
The retired piano teacher’s volunteer gigs at area assisted living communities and Fernbank Science Center were crushed by COVID. But while live interactions were curtailed, the Chamblee resident found new social connections through online classes. “With Zoom, you can have people from anywhere in the country. I’m a member of the Atlanta Music Teachers Association, and we had a program with a professor from Arizona State. I’ve taken courses through Senior University with people who weren’t in Georgia. The technology isn’t limited by geography or Atlanta traffic.”
As restrictions ease, Ackermann plans to return to her volunteer performances. “It’s taken quite a while to feel like playing again,” she said. “But I’m most hopeful about being about to go out to concerts, plays, opera, theater — anything. I just signed up for an ASO subscription this fall. I’m ready.”
Barbara, 73, and Jim, 68, Haight
COVID restrictions crimped the Gainesville couple’s active lifestyle, and they’re ready to get it back. “It’s fun to go to a restaurant and run into people you know; it’s a social thing, and I miss that,” Barbara Haight said. “I’m used to being on the go, but now a tank of gas literally lasts me two months.”
Jim Haight is ready to shrug off the checklist of concerns that has accompanied most outings. “If I want to go somewhere, even if it’s to the store, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder,” he said. “I’ll be glad when that’s over. I look forward to feeling I can get up and just go.”
As a teacher at Gwinnett Tech, Jim Haight is also ready for in-person classes. “But we have learned how to teach and how to do online better,” he said. “I don’t think that will go away, but everybody is still hoping we can go back to face to face this fall.”
Positive outlooks and teamwork will make the future brighter, he added. “We’re in this together, and we have to work together.”
Through the past difficult year, the couple has gained one skill they said they will hold on to. “We’ve developed a keener sense of humor,” Barbara Haight said. “We’ve learned to laugh again.”
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