Learn the new technology
FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and lots more. All sorts of online options exist to talk with family and friends. And you don’t have to be tech-savvy. Doing the basics is easy, and for most people, fun. My 13-year-old son, helped my grandfather over the phone set up Facetime so we could talk and see each other. We spent over an hour talking to my grandparents and created a special moment… it was worth the patients it took helping him set it up.
Stay active in the community from home
It may sound counterintuitive. How can you remain a part of the community if the goal is to separate from the community? Many organizations… political parties, faith-based groups, nonprofits have set up a remote option to stay connected. Help your loved one connect to church services and other community group that set up remote check ins so they are not missing out.
Go on a news diet
Stay informed, know what’s going on but don’t get locked into endlessly watching “breaking news” on the 24-hour news channels. Typically, not much changes hour to hour. But enduring the repetitious pummeling from TV all day long can bring needless anxiety. My patients have found the following advice helpful: Watch a news update in the morning, then check in again at night. Don’t stay with it all day or evening, 30 minutes or an hour is plenty.
Reach out to family and friends
Stay in touch with the people close to you, especially those who are social distancing too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that communities create “buddy systems” to make sure vulnerable and hard-to-reach people stay connected, particularly to news about COVID-19. This can be done through your church, social group or daily neighborhood email blasts. And for those of you who are not elderly, why not make it a point to check in on your older friends and relatives? Such thoughtfulness is always greatly appreciated. “Social distancing” does not mean “social isolation,” and even a potentially deadly virus should not force us to be alone. Now, more than ever, people need to find smart ways to stay connected.