My parents, 85 and 82, both vaccinated

[Ex Lurker]

have decided the Delta variant isn't going to drive them back indoors. As my father said, "we're being careful, but we're not going to live like hermits." She has a regular group she plays cards with, he belongs to a civic club that meets for lunch once a week. They spent months practically not leaving the house and they're just not going to do it again. There's no quality of life in that. I worry, but I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

[patphil]

1. Good for them.

It's better late than never. Now they can start to live again, instead of just surviving.

[LisaL]

2. You can start to live again, but your life might end up being very short.

There are a lot of risks for that age group, because even vaccinated people who are infected carry large viral loads.

[wryter2000]

7. They can also decline very quickly if they remain cloistered

I agree with the person who suggested masks, though

[patphil]

8. True, but staying home and doing essentially nothing is merely existing.

Life requires action, and interactions. It's a risk, but by being vaccinated they can at least begin the process of actually living.
It's the fact that they have so few years left that makes it important to them to get the vaccine and do what they can in the years they have.
I applaud their courageous decision.
Note: My wife and I are 75 and were vaccinated in February/March.
We are now able to visit with our fully vaccinated brothers and sisters who are all older than us.

[Ms. Toad]

3. If you can get them to wear masks, they should be relatively safe out & about. n/t

[leftstreet]

4. There are masks

[Dream Girl]

5. They are right. If they're vaccinated they should enjoy themselves and 5heir friends

[wryter2000]

6. They're doing the right thing

It’s too important for people of advanced years to stay active. I’m 73, and not going to my gym set my strength back seriously. I had a hip replacement in May, and now I’m struggling to build my strength back. You don’t recover quickly once you get over 65.

[roamer65]

9. There soon won't be many events to attend.

They should have alternate plans, such as packing a lunch and going to parks, etc.

All thanks to the antivaxxer scumbags.