Since the potential pandemic warning, Australian shoppers have raided supermarkets in preparation for indefinite quarantine. The stockpiling has left many facing empty aisles and lacking basic necessities. But this doomsday practice extends beyond not being able to buy pasta shells or running out of toilet paper — it also leaves vulnerable populations at risk.
Older people are particularly suffering at the expense of quick-handed customers. Overfilled trolleys have a ripple effect on senior citizens’ routines, health and safety. Both physical limitations such as mobility, vision and hearing, as well as cognitive conditions like dementia or mental health can make day-to-day chores challenging enough.
So when the elderly are confronted by bare shelves in wake of COVID-19, they are faced with a difficult choice: find alternatives within their means if supplies are available at all, or go without.
Seniors without driver licenses already only shop fortnightly or monthly, so they lack the opportunity to travel further away to buy goods sold out near them.
IGA St Ives, for example, is located near a retirement village and estimates nearly half its customer base are senior citizens. Retail manager Sasha Vallaydam says this demographic is overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of groceries being wiped out.
Items on special can be vital for pensioner budgets, however, these yellow-docket products have been the first to go. When his toilet paper supply began to dwindle, Sasha saw some elderly customers calculating the difference in pricier brands to assess if they could afford it.
'The panic buying around coronavirus is seriously disadvantaging the elderly’s daily functioning, on top of the fact that the virus, if not contained, will claim more fatalities from this demographic than any other age bracket.'
Alternatives to buying in store are also limited. The stock levels have incapacitated the franchisor’s ability to fulfil necessary home delivery services, and scrounging the net for stock is a privilege, as older people are less likely to have a connection to the internet or to know how to use online shopping for orders.
As a result, elderly shoppers 'must rely on family, friends or services to help them when goods are sold out,' says Lila Rhodes, an aged care worker. 'This is not always possible, especially for those who don’t have family close by, a strong friendship base or their connections are in the same position as them.'
Lila works with clients through the Federal Home Care Package scheme, which allocates benefits depending on the receivers’ level of need. The funding is distributed at behest of a third-party carer organisation to provide a range of services for eligible clients.
'If [the immobile] miss out on food because there’s none left in store, they might have to wait another fortnight to go shopping again with their aged care worker,' she says.
Eddy from the eastern suburbs, 75, is generally prepared. As a habitual bulk buyer, he is equipped with sturdy toilet paper reserves since pre-coronavirus hysteria. However, when running an errand this week, he was shocked when security turned him away from the chemist, citing a lack of over-the-counter and prescription goods for the denied entry. 'What can you do?' he asks defeatedly.
It’s a sentiment shared by community workers who fear a lack of medical supplies for the infirm. Home visitation nurses rely on masks and hand sanitiser to ensure germ-free treatment, but agencies are struggling to provide these supplies due to new consumer demand. The risk of preventable side effects when handling the bedridden skyrockets when medical gear is siphoned elsewhere.
The panic buying around coronavirus is seriously disadvantaging the elderly’s daily functioning, on top of the fact that the virus, if not contained, will claim more fatalities from this demographic than any other age bracket.
Stockpiling is an added grievance to a looming health scare for older people, and it’s a luxury not all can afford or accommodate. The high demand for certain groceries is causing unnecessary stress for our aging population’s wellbeing. Their genuine and complex needs must be prioritised over the average Australian’s misinformed and selfish behaviour. Panic shopping is going too fast in a race where not everyone is young enough to keep up.
Millie Roberts is a writer from Sydney covering minorities, culture and lifestyle.
Main image: Elderly woman standing in front of cleared out shelves (Getty Images/Sean Gallup)