The Wire with Caeden

Lockdown is a particularly difficult time for the elderly community. It can be very lonely for people and it becomes even harder to access the services like the supermarket, the pharmacy or the doctor.

News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston wanted to find out how we can support the older people in our lives and make sure that everyone gets through lockdown as best they can. She interviewed Kevin Lamb, the CEO of Age Concern Auckland, and Dr Hamish Jamieson, a Geriatrician with the University of Otago, for them to provide some advice on this. They discuss how lockdown has impacted older people in the past, whether the vaccine roll out has alleviated anxieties around Covid-19 and how people can support elderly people. 

If you need support during lockdown or want to help out, you can head to www.ageconcernauckland.org.nz or call Age Concern Auckland on 09 820 0184 or 09 489 4975. 

If you want help from the Student Volunteer Army with grocery delivery, head to shop.sva.org.nz or call 09 801 2122 if you’re in Auckland. If you want to volunteer you can download the Student Volunteer Army App on your phone or contact help@sva.org.nz. 

On August 14 2021, News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston spoke to Natasha Gallardo, the Chief Executive of the National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, about what the government could do to better support those with hearing loss in lockdown. The Foundation called for closed captions to be used more widely, clear masks to be implemented, and for businesses to resource their staff with ways to communicate with the hearing loss community. However, a year later, Natasha says these calls have not been answered by the government. 

Today Jemima speaks to Natasha again about how the deaf and hard of hearing community is being impacted by the latest lockdown and how you can support those who struggle with hearing loss  through this lockdown period and always.

If you are an essential business owner or someone who wants to learn more about how they can better communicate with those with hearing loss, you can head to the Resources tab on National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website. 

Today on the Wire, Jemima Huston speaks to Matthew Jenkins, a Research Fellow in Psychological Medicine  from the University of Otago, about how the extension of Alert Level 4 yesterday could impact the mental health of New Zealanders.

Natasha Gallardo, the Chief Executive from the National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, talks to Jemima about the lack of support the government has given her community throughout the pandemic. 

With International Overdose Awareness Day coming up, Joe Wickins interviews Liesje Donkin, a clinical psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Neuroscience from AUT, on addiction, overdose awareness, and mental health. 

Jemima talks to Dr Andrew Chen, Research Fellow for Koi Tū – Centre for Informed Futures at University of Auckland, about the government’s latest mandate for compulsory record keeping at large businesses and events at any alert level. 

Finally, Jemima wraps it up with a piece about how you can support the elderly people in your life during lockdown. She speaks to Age Concern Auckland’s CEO Kevin Lamb and Otago University Geriatrician Dr Hamish Jamieson about this. 

As an essential service, the Auckland City Mission will continue to operate during the current level four lockdown. But restrictions have change how the mission provides services, including takeaway bags, social distancing, and a pop-up vaccination centre. 

Auckland City Mission's Fundraising and Reputation Manager Deb Ward joined Louis to chat about how lockdown has impacted the mission and the people they support.