Covid-19 Lockdown: Psychological Effects, and Counselling Intervention Strategies Concerning the Aged in Jos North Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper was aimed at investigating the COVID-19 lockdown, its psychological effects, and counselling strategies among the aged in Jos, North of plateau state Nigeria. The researcher reviewed the discovery period of the virus from 1991 in China and subsequently caused several Pandemics including the SARS pandemic of 2005 and the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) of 2014 in Saudi Arabia; its symptoms were also reviewed. The classification of age groups and the aged that were affected by the lockdown was also reviewed. The effects of lockdown on the world and the Nigerian economy, with much hit on the aged and their health and psychological status, were discussed. In a related development, the Relevance of counselling to the aged during the COVID-19 lockdown and post-COVID-19 pandemic was also captured. Thus, the appropriate use of Counselling strategies as a way forward (psychotherapy) was also discussed. Based on the literature reviewed and counselling strategies required for the aged, the following recommendations, among others, were made: Counsellors should deploy ways through counselling by which the aged can be made to transition from the workforce to retirement within the middle ages of life in order to remain relevant in society by helping them maintain and attain even better achievement and fulfilment in their later years. The government should also ensure that the  gratuities and life savings of their workforce are protected, especially that of the aged. Their family links should be well guarded, and vocational training should be instituted on a large scale, including the aged that may wish to do some mini jobs after retirement. Not all of these can be achievable without fostering a relationship with them and this is where counselling comes in. Counselling is a relevant tool to stabilise the aged, especially in times of lockdown and isolation. Counsellors, apart from being able to speak eloquently and persuasively, should also be equipped with powers to link the elderly who come to them to support groups, vocational training centres, employment opportunities, adequate medical care amongst the numerous “quality-of-life” improvement strategies