How do you feel about ironing, dear reader? I can only say that it is worth it: doing this activity in the quiet of my apartment means that I can simply let my thoughts wander.

Today the word “uncertainty” stuck in my head. Why?

The first thing I read in the newspaper early in the morning (BaZ from May 25, 2020) was that a surprising number of people aged 55+ are losing their jobs. The article states: "Actually, 55- to 64-year-olds should have the lowest risk of unemployment, as they are the ones who change jobs the least often." The text goes on to say that it is often people with a difficult employment history. But "often" means that it affects others too. If you then look at the sectors, it is not surprising that the accommodation sector currently has the highest percentage of job losses. But why is the sector also called "healthcare"? Everyone is talking about staff shortages in the health care sector! When I think about the fact that the risk of being laid off increases significantly for older people when they lose their job, I feel a sense of uncertainty just thinking about it. And how great will this uncertainty be among these people!

The second thing I met today at lunchtime was my little granddaughter. She is six years old. After these long weeks of abstinence due to Corona, she no longer reacts to me as she used to. She used to run around my neck. As fast as possible. Today she is standing there, looking up at me, wiggling back and forth a little embarrassed - and radiating total insecurity. Ever since I stopped her at the very beginning of the lockdown when she tried to hug me with full vigor, the world has not been right for me and probably for her either. And now she no longer dares to hug me properly. And ultimately, I am also unsure about how to deal with her. Forcing her is out of the question. What and how much physical contact are we actually allowed to have? Our babysitting assignment has been canceled until after the summer holidays. So we have to wait even longer until we can "normalize" our relationship again. And it turns out that writing letters, exchanging drawings or chatting on Facetime never makes up for the lack of physical closeness.

Thirdly, I listened to the radio. News. Reports from all over the world. When you listen and hear everything about war, power, greed, money, corruption, poverty, it becomes clear that the whole world must be completely unsettled. The economy is suffering, people are losing jobs, the poor are getting poorer, the rich... but let's leave that aside. And although we are doing comparatively well in Switzerland, you can feel the uncertainty everywhere. And then there are those who are cheating their way into contributions or taking advantage of the situation in these times, be it through short-time work and layoffs, early retirements, even though it might not be necessary or not yet necessary.

In times when people avoid each other even on the sidewalk, only smile shyly and immediately distance themselves when engaging in conversation, I am glad about safe values such as Seniors@Work. I hope for all of you that you will find the right job, the committed employee or the professional staff here and thus be able to show the door to your own personal insecurity.

Good luck, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Beatrice Isler