As the pandemic crisis carries on, you are probably wondering how to help your aging parents go through the situation as safely as possible. Many of us have arranged for grocery shopping for them. If you’re too far to deliver food staples and fresh products, you might be worried about maintaining contact.
Ultimately, self-isolation can be a challenging time for anyone. Staying indoors reduces your intake of vitamin D, which makes people vulnerable to depressive disorders. Additionally, now more than ever, scammers and fraudsters are taking advantage of the most vulnerable members of society. They ring the doorbell pretending they came to collect a late payment or force their way through senior households through the backdoor at night. You want to keep your parents as safe as possible during the lockdown without exposing them to any contagion risk. One thing is for sure; distance doesn’t mean anything in 2020. Here’s how to break it.
Stay informed of everything
You can count on the neighbor’s watch to keep an eye on suspicious activities. Chances are that someone would intervene if they spotted an intruder at your parent’s home. However, if you want to be in the know, you can discuss the addition of a smart home security system to notify you about any abnormal activities. Once the security system is installed, you can receive notification directly to your smartphone-related to the doors and windows in the home, for instance. Additionally, combined with a CCTV camera, you can also watch out for suspicious visitors and help your parents avoid any risk. The advantage of this technology is that you don’t need to live in the same place to protect your parents, which is ideal for long distances.
Plan thoughtful attentions
Everybody loves a present. However, when you can’t deliver it in person, you need to be creative. There are plenty of reasons to surprise an elderly relative with a gift. If a birthday or an anniversary is coming, you could certainly send a sweet parcel with a thoughtful present. Cozy loungewear makes a nice addition to the lockdown wardrobe, for instance. But you can also opt for yummy treat hampers with all the snacks they like. Now’s the time to be creative and think of something meaningful for someone in self-isolation. Tap into their hobbies, from reading to gardening. An unexpected gift will bring a smile to their lips and help them stay positive.
The distance is only in your mind
Finally, you might want to transform your catch-up call for a catch-up zoom meeting. You can use the opportunity to reconnect with the whole family by setting up a weekly meeting online, for instance. You can even ask grandparents to give you a hand with homeschooling. The ‘Grandparents’ Academy’ is an idea explored by Jake Halpern. In essence, Jake and his wife encouraged grandparents to act as teachers and share their knowledge with the kids via a handful of scheduled zoom lessons. The result? A brilliant way of connecting generations and making seniors feel relevant during those challenging times.
Self-isolation is crucial to protecting vulnerable citizens from infection. As a result, it can be hard to check on elderly relatives during the COVID-19 quarantine. But you can find some smart solutions to protect them, even if you live far away! From smart tech to meaningful presents, you can bridge the gap and make self-isolated relatives part of your everyday life.
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