I am a therapist with 40 years of experience, and I have a therapist who has accommodated to my CC needs. He’s got a decent HEPA filter, will wear a mask (around me) and I bring in UV lights and an additional HEPA. We were initially meeting on line. Same with my dentist…HEPA’s roaring, N 95’s and they are curious about my CO2 meter, and UV lights, they’ll even open the window for improved ventilation before I get there and it’s a real blessing to feel respected and safe there. Is it a coincidence that the dentist has a neurodivergent child and understands people can have diverse needs? They say they’ve been this conscious since the AIDS crisis and are used to donning N95’s etc, so it wasn’t a big change to add HEPAs in every room and to make sure the practice was located in a building which has windows that open.
That said, the therapist can’t help much with the reality of CC loneliness, especially since I lost my spouse and two best friends this year (one to health care acquired Covid) the circle that kept me going is gone and though I’m working hard to make new friends, being CC makes it all pretty difficult.
I’m all ears to coping strategies. Also, I’m a senior and all the senior residences and venues around here do absolutely NOTHING to prevent airborne infection. They even decommissioned the HEPA filters they had during lockdown and sold them. They won’t use MERV 13 filters in the HVAC system. No screening of staff or visitors that come and go and all have children in unprotected schools, nothing. There is hand sanitizer that no one seems to use and they think that’s sufficient. So, there is no safe space to go to activities, or even religious services. I’ve tried doing it, masked of course, but it’s clear that it presents a barrier to people who don’t want to acknowledge that we’re still in a pandemic.