Your residents may be feeling a whole range of emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be healthy to have a place to channel these feelings. A journal or diary, whether it’s written, spoken or in front of a camera, can be a therapeutic and safe place for them to externalize their thoughts.
Audiobooks and podcasts are great for older adults who have challenged vision. There are now thousands of audiobooks and podcasts online. Audible is the most popular site for audiobooks, but again you could also search youtube. For older books in the public domain, search LibriVox for free audiobooks read by volunteers!
Remember these! Seniors likely have a few dozen pictures or more that could be organized and put into a collection! It gives them a chance to talk about themselves, share stories and reminisce about positive times.
Spotify has an endless amount of music options. It may be fun to craft a list with your residents of their favourite songs and talk about their choices. You could even combine everyone's choices, so the entire community has music to share and feel connected.
Take a photo of a resident which can be shared with family and friends. Better yet, have them write and message on a white board or piece of paper, which they can hold up in the photo.
If the picture is an old fashion Polaroid, this activity can even be combined with a written letter to family by including a picture in the envelope.
This is a big ask, but it has a big payoff. Many communities will have to share devices such as iPad and DVD players during these times. The ability to communicate with the outside world or escape into a favourite movie, whenever they want, is a tremendous benefit for isolated residents.
David Prater, Activity Director at Cedarview Rehabilitation and Nursing in Ohio, put a call out to the community for DVD players and this is what he got back.
If you try this and end up getting items, you will want to make sure though that everything is cleaned and sanitized before handing them out.
This can be with another resident, a family member, a staff member or even a grandchild learning how to write. It’s a great way to learn about others, share a story and remind them of a time before email took over. Writing is affordable too!
A great way to leverage the outdoors is with your roster of entertainers. To keep-up self-isolation, have them perform outside for residents. Outdoor entertainment is becoming popular all over the world now. In Italy, an opera singer has been serenading people from his balcony, while in Spain, people are holding outdoor exercise routines on roof tops where others follow along from their windows.
Museums across the world are temporarily closed due to the coronavirus. But thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can still explore hundreds of them online. From Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum to Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, more than 500 museums and galleries are offering a peek inside their doors. If you are not sure where to start, Google has put together a top 10 list here.
