As the stay at home order for Indiana comes to an end, we are definitely not out of the woods yet. As we all very well know, adults with underlying health conditions and adults over the age of 65 are most at risk for severe illness from COVID19; but how is all of this affecting their mental health?

Social distancing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus, but for Margaret Field, its a constant reminder of heartache.  For her, there is one thing that she is struggling with the most. “The loneliness, the absolute loneliness. Its a very profound loneliness,” she says.

Margaret lost her husband of 64 years in November and even though she lives with some family, there is still a large piece of her heart that is missing, and isolation is not doing much to help fill it.

However, with the help of her granddaughter and a few friends, things may get a little easier.

Before quarantine began, Margaret would go to church and visit with the same group of friends. It was her favorite part of the week, especially following the death of her husband because it was something she could depend on and look forward to.

Margaret has not been able to see these friends since quarantine began… until now. On a sunny Tuesday evening, Margaret and four of her friends went to a local park to visit and share quarantine struggles.

“Its very nice. Its nice to have a chance to catch up and see how everyone else is experiencing it,” says Ed Lacy, a friend of Margaret’s.

Something that has seemed to help everyone in that group is finding a new routine. For Margaret, she now looks forward to and depends on her daily walk in order to fight that pesky loneliness.

“Just try to keep in touch by phone and when you go for a walk, wave at everybody that you meet and say hi. That helps a whole lot,” she says.

She says the first thing she is going to do when its safe to go out again is get her hair and nails done, and of course, go see her favorite pals.