Staying Connected with Loved Ones During Social Distancing
Everything in 2020 looked a bit differently than ever before. How many times have you been halfway through the parking lot and “Shoot! My mask” have to run back to the car. Everywhere you go there are x’s or lines marking where you can stand, arrows directing which way you can walk, cancelled vacations, cancelled concerts, cancelled everything. It has been a crazy year all around full of unknowns and changes. One of the best things about how the year has gone is the extra time with your family at home when the world was shut down and you couldn’t really leave your house, but what about the family and loved ones not at home?
The holiday season is coming to a close and for many families they looked a lot different. Maybe this is the first year you weren’t able to gather the clan on Christmas to go see grandma at the nursing home. If you did still go, the best you can do is wave through the window and hope they aren’t too lonely in there. One of the hardest things of 2020 is the impact on your family and loved ones that aren’t in your home, or at a higher risk if exposed to COVID 19. Social distancing applies to them as well as strangers. How do you stay connected to those you love, while keeping everyone safe during these trying times?
7 TIPS TO STAY CONNECTED:
Break Out the Board Games - Bring back family game night. There are many apps and websites available to play games online. Whether you love playing cards, or more classic board games, you can find an app or website to accommodate.
Schedule a Virtual Gathering - Whether it is a birthday, holiday, or a random Tuesday night, there are multiple platforms that have skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic. Find out what works for you and your loved ones, zoom, google meet, skype, etc. and schedule your birthday party a bit differently. You can still visit with loved ones, just not physically.
Write a Letter - There is something special about receiving a letter in the mail. Snail mail isn’t anywhere the most popular form of communication, but it may be the most intimate and heartfelt. Make your loved ones day when they open the mail to a real handwritten letter.
“Hang out” on the Phone - Remember your middle school days, before texting, you spent hours on the phone talking about nothing really to you best friends. You can do that now, call your mom and talk about a bunch of nothing while you cook dinner or do laundry.
Start a Book Club - Everyone can pick either their favorite book or a book they’d like to read, go to the library, or use a library app to get the book of the month. Schedule a virtual call once a month to discuss the book you read.
Drive-By - Don’t let birthdays or special occasions go by unrecognized. Have a parade! Enlist the whole family and some friends, make signs, get some noisemakers, and pick a starting place. Get all lined up and celebrate the birthday or event with a drive-by parade that will be sure to put a smile on your loved ones face.
Senior-Friendly Technology - There are a number of smart devices designed to address the needs of seniors. For tablets GrandPad, a simplified tablet with large text and buttons, as well as added security features to prevent spammers from contacting your loved one is a great option.For phones the Jitterbug Flip and Smart2 are great, the Flip is a very simple flip phone with large buttons and a built-in emergency button. The Smart2 is a smartphone tailored to seniors with an emphasis on ease-of-use and a simplified interface.
The good news is the COVID-19 pandemic came at a time full of technology. If this happened a couple decades ago, the options of how to stay connected would be extremely limited. Technological advances have even made it easy for your elderly loved ones to participate in virtual activities. At the same time, taking things back to before all this technology was available can be just as important. The love that goes into a handwritten letter is unparalleled by any text or email you can send. Family matters, whether it is blood or family of the heart, taking the time to stay connected is more important now than ever before. Find what works best for you and your loved ones, and keep it up! We don’t know how long this will be the reality, but you can make the best of it with these tips!
