Christmas and Covid: Don’t Be Discouraged

If there’s no room in the Inn, don’t be discouraged. Maybe the universe is protecting you from dangers lurking with-inn. If the inn-keeper says, ‘try the cow-shed’, he might be providing a safe place away from inn-occupants (inn-sects) who just flew in, who might be traffickers of new-borns, or who might be carrying the Greek O: Omicron (Oh my God)! Sometimes it is better to be with the animals out in nature than with zessers texting whole night. The wise men may come bearing holiday best-gifts of safety advise in this torrid pandemic third-wave for T&T, like:

STAY AWAY FROM THE INN-CROWD: Find a safe place to play during the holiday season, i.e. play safe with laughing children. ‘Away in a manger’ (family bubble) is the safest place, but remember to check everyone’s credentials. Where you went last evening, boy?

EXPLORE NEW INN-SIGHTS IN SELF CARE: Develop slowly and deliberately a new self care plan. This is an intentional plan, not just what the gurus say, let your own inner guru have the final word. The Shepherds’ insightfulness; thinking silently while they walk. ‘No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life.’(Nietzsche)

IF YOU CLIMB-INN YOU COULD CLIMB-OUT: There is no pit you cannot climb out of, provided you make the right effort at the right place. But above all you have to want to climb out. There is an energy source waiting to be tapped. Be quiet and silent this night.

LIVING WITH MIND AND BODY RELAXED: This is out natural state, our birthright. The pace of our lives often cause us to forget. Be gentle with yourself. Remember the art of slowing down: relaxation is the tonic for the whole being, liberating vast resources of energy.

GRIEVE QUIETLY: Its okay to be sad. Sad is not bad. This is the season for old memories of loss to come crashing back. Welcome them with open arms; discover the reason for this emotional memory’s visit; balance grief with gratitude. Listen to some appropriate music.

CONTINUED SERVICE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC / STATE OF EMERGENCY

In light of the current ever-changing global COVID-19 pandemic, we at Elder Associates Limited hope that you, your families, and your extended community are healthy and safe during these unprecedented times.


Elder Associates Limited would like to assure you that we remain operational and continue to support our client needs.


We take this opportunity to emphasize our remote counselling options such as video messaging, telephone, or email correspondence:

  1. For video options, sessions can be face-to-face using a secure online platform such as Zoom, doxy.me, or Microsoft Teams for the scheduled session. No download is necessary. 
  2. For telephone options, the counsellor will call clients at an agreed time on an identified preferred phone number.
  3. Clients may also utilize services through email by
    1. sending an outline of current concerns or 
    2. noting concerns over a period of time and then sending them to the counsellor. He/she will respond within 48 hours of receipt of the email  


Appointments continue to be scheduled during our regular business hours of 8am – 4pm daily. Limited in-person sessions will be available based on client clinical needs. We look forward to resuming full in-person services when it is safe to do so.


Thank you for providing us the opportunity to continue to serve efficiently and effectively, as we consolidate all available resources to meet our clients’ needs.

Continued Service During Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has disrupted life as we know it. The ‘new normal’ that continues to be our daily routine, may have shaken our sense of safety and normalcy, and put us on a tailspin of varied feelings. Let us look at some tips to deal with the different range of feelings you may be experiencing:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/its-ok-to-feel-grief-and-whatever-else-youre-feeling-right-now


Please be advised that all offices of Elder Associates Limited remain open for business.

See our COVID-19 Office Safety Precautions Notice


We will be opened to provide Face-to-Face counselling, if clients so desire. Should any of our clients be uncomfortable in attending Face-to-Face sessions, Elder Associates Limited will gladly honour these appointments by providing telephonic counselling sessions. All counselling appointments will continue to be scheduled during our normal business hours.

Our offices are adequately equipped to present a sanitized environment as we continue to ensure that all care is taken to minimize exposure to EAL Care Team members, clients, vendors, and others.

We encourage each other to continue to follow the guidelines and protocols set forth by the offices of the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Ministry of National Security as we each seek to flatten the curve.

The following are some key resources to provide up-to-date information and best practices:


Ministry of Health: COVID-19 hotline launched: 800-WELL, 877-WELL, and for Tobago 800-HEAL.

Understanding and Coping with Cabin Fever During COVID19

The COVID-19 Pandemic has altered the political, economic and social landscapes of existence in Trinidad and Tobago and across the globe. For the majority of us, social isolation is mandatory and social distancing has redefined intimate communication. Hygienic practices and interactions can mean the difference between death or life, particularly for our most vulnerable-children, pregnant women, senior citizens and individuals with preexisting health conditions. While confined to our living spaces, there emerges in this period another problem that poses a real threat to mental health, that of Cabin Fever.


According to Healthline, Cabin Fever is “a series of emotions or symptoms people experience when they are confined to their homes for extended periods of time” (https://www.healthline.com/health/cabin-fever). While the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not recognize Cabin Fever as a specific diagnosis with clear parameters, historically, the condition has been recorded and known to account for psychological disturbances. Individuals engaged in Artic exploration, Space Travel, on Offshore Facilities and numerous other areas requiring extended periods of confinement, experience a host of emotions including loneliness, food cravings, restlessness, lethargy, trouble concentrating, persistent sadness or depression, lack of patience, hopelessness, decreased motivation, inability to cope with stress, frequent napping and difficulty waking and distrust. While symptom similarities exist between Cabin Fever and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), it must be noted that the former is specifically related to isolation.


Our current dilemma is similar. We have been asked to remain confined to our homes as far as is possible with the additional restriction of social distancing. It’s astonishing how, as human beings, we’ve taken for granted the power of human touch, freedom of movement, blindsiding the relational dimension, ignoring the equilibrium these have brought to our existence. Scientists say that “we become unrecognizable in the absence of human touch,” research making significant correlations between human touch and decreases in violence, diseases, engendering trust, stronger immune systems, learning engagement and overall wellbeing, among others. But now, for the most part, we are isolated, deprived of the very thing that differentiates us from animals. It’s the resilience of the human spirit, self-discipline, factual reasoning, some good old common sense and trust in Divine power that will ingeniously see us emerge, as historically we have, in every crisis.


Many persons with unresolved relational and family issues will find difficulty during this period. One may now be confined within the very environment which may have contributed to distress and threats to life. Many exists in very small spaces, without the benefit of natural environments. Many live below the poverty line, without the very basic necessities that engender holistic human development. Many have health conditions which can be further exacerbated by confinement. Many struggle with issues of job security and income loss. For many others, the rat-race of pre-COVID-19 existence decimated the very fabric of their world, cumulatively, our society. We yearned for extra time with loved ones, postponed plans to develop skills and talents, learn to cook, plant a kitchen garden, play an instrument, rest, or even just maintain clean living spaces. So, what then shall we make of this opportunity?


Coping with Cabin Fever requires individual understanding of our spaces. Write it down. What is available to me? Who is in my space? With whom would I have to communicate everyday? For whom do I have responsibility? What financial resources are available to me? How do I plan use of those resources in the short/medium/long term? What is healthy for me? How do I care for my spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical selves? How do we coordinate household activities to ensure that everyone remains healthy during this period? How can I reduce hysteria and panic by controlling information overload? When and what exercise can I do at home? What family activities can we engage in without threatening health/safety? How do I reach out to others and with what frequency?


In this conundrum of pandemic, we are forced headlong, to face the realities of our interactions, to reconcile how this inevitable part of our human existence is to be reinvented without contracting COVID-19, how this occasion gives rise to emerging opportunities for healing. There is now no escape to Bars, Clubs, Sports meets or watercourses, albeit, the power of control remains with us. While Cabin Fever is a reality, it is an opportunity for us to reinvent the individual living in the Cabin – make it our spaces, where we can thrive, be the best at being human, forgive, love, practice kindness and self-control in individual increments.