08 Apr Staying Connecting During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Senior Living Consultants remains open and the staff is available to help you or a loved one find independent, Assisted Living, and Memory/Dementia Care Communities at NO COST to our clients. We are the local experts in locating the best senior living options and we are still here to help families–even during this uncertain time. Please don’t hesitate to email or call us anytime, seven days a week. Stay home and be safe.♥️
Sincerely,
Charmaine and the staff at Senior Living Consultants
- Office Phone: (805) 454-5901
- Charmaine Cell: (805) 704-1532
- Email: info@seniorlivingconsultants.com
- www.seniorlivingconsultants.com
This blog has covered many topics regarding the negative effects of loneliness and isolation for seniors. In fact, maintaining healthy and positive connections with family, friends, and the community is vital to our mental and physical health as we age. Studies show loneliness and isolation can be as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when most residents of the country are advised to stay at home, it is more difficult than ever to maintain and enjoy social connections. This is especially true for people over 65 who are most at risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 and are advised to not leave home at all, if possible. This is a stressful time for all of us as our regular routines have been turned upside down. However, it is important to continue to provide support and caring to those special people in our lives including older adults who may feel most alone.
Seniors Staying Connected
Following CDC guidelines, all types of senior care facilities including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, dementia care, board and care homes, and independent senior housing are now strictly limiting all visitors including family members due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, these facilities are helping seniors communicate with their loved ones through video calls (FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom). Administrators report that since older adults have already experienced many challenges in their lives seniors are readily accepting and adapting to the new way of staying in touch with loved ones.
For older loved ones that live in their own homes, families are finding creative ways to see one another while still practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, I have a friend in the Los Angeles area who visits her mom everyday following social distance guidelines. She first sends a text to her mom letting her know she is on the way to her house. Upon arriving, she drops off groceries on a covered area on the front porch then heads around to the back patio where she finds her mother sitting inside the house behind an open sliding glass door. My friend sits in a chair 6′ away in the backyard. Both look forward to these daily visits and appreciate the opportunity to still see and communicate with each other–while keeping a safe distance.
Baby boomer grandparents, who have taken the lead on being an involved and active presence in their grandchildren’s lives, have come up with a number of creative ways to stay involved. A grandmother I know has a story time on Zoom with her 6 young grandkids on a daily basis. Another friend plays her piano initiating a fun weekly singalong with her grandchildren.
Skip the Holiday Gatherings During COVID-19
Two religious holidays are upon us this week. Passover starts today and ends Thursday, April 16 while Easter Sunday is April 12. These holidays normally bring families and friends together to unite in worship and enjoy family dinners and traditions. You may be tempted to drive over to an adult daughter’s home for a Seder dinner or take the kids to visit grandma to show her their Easter baskets. However, even if family members have self-quarantined for two or three weeks, now is not the time to stop social distancing. Many Jewish families are hosting virtual Seder dinners and Christian’s are doing the same with their traditional Sunday Easter dinners. Remember, it is better to miss our family and friends for a few months than to never see them again.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html