As distressing as the feeling of uncertainty during this pandemic is, the most heartbreaking ordeal is the inability to get together with loved ones. Everyone is feeling the void of not being able to gather in person, but it can be even harder on seniors who have to be extra careful about distance.
Not only can’t older people spend time with their families, but other social activities have been curtailed or cancelled as well. Although the situation is challenging, there are many ways to connect with family and help soften the blow of separation. Here, we provide a list of tools to use along with some ideas to help you think about making your connection time more fun than ever in order to carry us all through the dry spells.
Tech tips and options
Tech tips and optionsOnce limited to the phone and snail mail, these days we can communicate instantly through our computers, phones and tablets. If you or your elder family are concerned about managing the setup of the technology, consider hiring someone to help or ask your tech-knowing family members to assist.
For seniors in retirement communities, there might be staff available and ready to assist with setting up devices to ensure they are simple to access. This could mean making sure the font is larger on the screen and the volume is louder, too.
For those with an in-home care service such as Home Health Companions, arranging your tech for video conferencing can be managed with your companion professional.
Your connection tools
Here is a short list of video conferencing tools to consider:
- Zoom Meeting – This platform has been particularly popular these days, and it is also user-friendly. Decide who will organize the meetings, and then set regular dates to chat. Zoom has a 40-minute limit in the free version, but you are able to have more than one person on a Zoom call.
- WhatsApp – This is a great application for visiting via video or voice, and it’s simple to open and use.
- Facebook Messenger – This product can be simple, but a lot will depend if you and others are on Facebook.
If it’s the device that’s the issue, consider one designed with seniors in mind. One example is the GrandPad. This tablet is streamlined to provide access to applications in a straightforward format that makes it super easy for the user.
Email: It’s hard to believe that email is considered old-fashioned these days, but it is fairly easy and a direct way to communicate digitally. Although you don’t have the immediacy of video, regular emails can be a wonderful way of keeping in touch with your elder.
Snail Mail: We’ve lost our way when it comes to the joy of sending and receiving real letters. These days, sending cards and handwritten notes can be a marvelous way of connecting with someone, particularly anyone who has voiced feeling lonely. Think about asking questions and inviting a letter in return. Encourage your children to become pen pals for seniors in the community. Everyone can send artwork, too!
Get into online learning and activity
Over at Everyday Health in the article “Socializing in Place: Tips for Older People to Stay Connected and Safe,” author Quinn Phillips offers up several suggestions of online learning resources available including Coursera and even Harvard. To Phillips list, I’d add YouTube Learning, which offers videos on any subject you can imagine.
Another way to enjoy interaction with others is to explore online book clubs such as those listed on AARP. Also, check in with the groups you attended before the pandemic, and see if they are currently meeting virtually. You might be surprised at the local activities that offer connection via video chat.
Mix in creativity for added fun
The tools are available, and the interest is there, but creating a steady routine with purpose can heighten the excitement about visiting with a loved one. Making a plan of your calls and messages gives everyone something to look forward to, and that is a heady salve to feeling lonely.
Here are some ideas harvested from a number of sources, pulled together here to give you inspiration to make your connection extra meaningful:
- Storytelling time photos: Make each visit a time to reminisce and share stories. You might pull out the old pictures and albums and ask questions, for instance. Who are in the pictures? What is the story behind each photo? Hold up the images during a video chat and see what stories the pictures inspire.
- Intergenerational tutorials: Over at Franciscan Health in the article “5 Ways to Connect with Elderly Loved Ones From a Distance,” they suggest making regular visiting time an opportunity to learn something from each other. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to knit or crochet. Or maybe, it’s time to talk about the recipes and the secrets that make family favorites so good. Perhaps this will become a series of tutorials? Consider recording the videos (you can do this via Zoom) and sharing them with more friends and family later.
- Virtual craft time: On the heels of the tutorials, you might want to spend time crafting from a distance. If your elder works on a project while you work on a project, make it a time you chat while you craft together virtually. People who are in knitting circles or coloring groups know that there is a relaxing quality to gathering to do creative things together (and letting the conversation go where it will).
- Connect with ongoing newsletters: Honor someone you love by asking them questions about their past and family stories they’ve heard, and then record their answers. Share the answers with family and friends. Make each response a newsletter blast to selected recipients and then invite them to send more questions and comments to the storyteller.
Play games online together
Certainly, there are many games that can be played online individually, but for this post, we’re focusing on those that can be interactive.
- KimKomando suggests Backgammon, among others, for which there is a free PC or Mac version.
- Guide for Seniors provides a robust list games, and those you can play with others include chess, Multipopword, and Mahjong.
These are indeed challenging times, and we are all growing weary, some of us even getting a little stir-crazy from not gathering like we used to do. But we have the technology tools to make connection possible, and with some creativity we can stay in touch and make memories just the same.
Bibliography
https://www.youtube.com/learning
https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2020/online-book-clubs-to-join.html
https://www.komando.com/tech-tips/best-games-for-people-over-55/565893/