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The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on most of us, forcing us to change our lifestyles and our day to day routines and posing all sorts of threats along the way. But the demographic that seem to have been most significantly impacted by the pandemic tends to be the over 70s. Not only are the over 70s the most impacted by the virus itself, often being the most vulnerable members of society to face it, but many have also had to stay in their homes for months on end now in a bid to avoid getting the virus. The pandemic has resulted not only in physical health threats, but also in threats to the elderly’s mental health and emotional well being. If you have an elderly loved one in your life, now is the time to make sure you’re really putting in the extra effort and helping them out as much as you can. Here are a few pieces of advice that can help you to achieve this!
Keep In Touch
The easiest thing you can do to help your elderly loved ones right now is to make sure that you keep in touch. Sure, you might not be able to go over to their home for a drink and a catch up, but this doesn’t mean that you should let them completely drop from your radar. Instead, make sure to keep in touch in other ways that don’t require contact. Something as simple as a phone call can make all the difference to their day! Schedule in time for chats and conversations that will ensure they know someone is always thinking of them and is missing their company. If possible, you may even be able to tell them how to create a video call.
Give Them Updates on Important Information
Coronavirus is difficult to understand and we’re still working on getting to grips with how it works and what steps we can take to deal with it as best possible. This means that we’re getting constant updates and changes to information regarding how we should be acting during this time. Remember that your elderly loved ones may not have access or knowledge of how to use modern technology to get updates as immediately as you might. They might not have news apps. They might not follow government pages on social media. So, they may rely on getting information from newspapers or the evening news on the television. Make sure to keep them updated with any important developments yourself. Drop the papers off to them. Call them to give them updates that may not have been featured on the morning news but have been released before the evening news. This will help your elderly loved one to feel as informed and up to date as possible.
Assess Their Living Situation
You may find that you need to assess your elderly loved one’s living situation during this time. This is something that many of us do regularly, but may not have been able to carry out during the pandemic. Make sure to talk to your loved one and see how they’re coping with day to day tasks. Are they able to clean their home properly? Are they taking their medication as and when they should? Are they able to get around their house comfortably? You may find that over time your loved one’s needs change. You can then assess whether you need to make any changes to their home life that will help them. This could include things like:
Remember to involve your loved one in all decision making regarding their living situation. They have a choice in this too and you need to come to a compromise that keeps them as safe and happy as possible.
Drop Off the Essentials
Your elderly loved one should be avoiding public spaces right now. So, do your utmost to drop essentials off to them. Get them to draw up a shopping list and pick up everything they want and need. Then drop it off at their doorstep for them to collect!
These are just a few different changes you might want to make when it comes to helping your elderly loved one to lead the best life possible. Each step will be greatly appreciated!
