This is what the pandemic cost us: Senior citizens report on their experiences in everyday Corona

Created: 2022-02-11Updated: 2022-02-11, 10:32 p.m

By: Claudia Schuri

Apollonia Pramberger is involved with the Munich food bank © Astrid Schmidhuber

It has been determining our lives for a good two years: the corona pandemic.

Munich residents tell us what this time of crisis has cost them.

Here: two pensioners.

That's what the pandemic cost me - Apollonia Pramberger (74):

"Fortunately, I got through the pandemic unscathed," says Apollonia Pramberger.

But the 74-year-old volunteers at the Tafel and therefore knows that many Munich residents are doing very badly.

"The prices for high-quality food are rising," she reports.

"The situation has become more difficult for many people, they now need the help even more than before." It was therefore quickly clear to her that she would continue to help during the Corona period.

Apollonia Pramberger herself liked to be in her allotment garden during the lockdowns.

"A lot of people envied us for it," she says.

“We were able to keep our distance and talk to the neighbors over the garden fence.” Her daughter also only met her at a distance for a while.

Apollonia Pramberger thinks it's a pity that the opening of the Kultur im Trafo cultural center last autumn could only be celebrated to a limited extent.

“We had been looking forward to this for ten years,” she says.

The 74-year-old is active in the Munich* association for district culture Neuhausen-Nymphenburg*.

"We have so many ideas, but we can't really get started yet." At least she hopes that the opening ceremony can be rescheduled.

And there is something else she would like to do again: "I would like to dress up and go out again, for example to a nice theater."

That's what the pandemic cost me - Waltraud Hörnchen (74):

Waltraud Hörnchen liked to be outside during the pandemic © Marcus Schlaf

Waltraud Hörnchen is an active woman - but she has had to give up many of her hobbies in recent years.

She sings in the church choir and usually practices in the community once a week.

"We didn't rehearse for almost a whole year," says the 74-year-old.

The planned concert?

Cancelled.

"I met up with a friend in the park and there we sang together," she says.

Now the rehearsals are running again.

The woman from Obersendling likes to go to concerts herself.

After the Corona * situation had relaxed a bit, she hopefully took out a subscription.

"Then everything was canceled again," regrets Waltraud Hörnchen.

She also refrained from visiting her sister in Stuttgart at Christmas.

"That was still too risky for me."

Hörnchen is also involved with the VdK local association.

She and the other helpers organize a regulars' table and many other events - but because of Corona, a lot could not take place here either.

After all: The local association trip was made up for.

"In September we had a wonderful day at the Achensee." 

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