seniors

Senior women at home using tablet

Experiencing our communities in a virtual world

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Since stay-at-home orders began in mid-March, we have all learned to adjust to a new normal. This meant those rainy Saturdays spent at movie theaters, dinner reservations at our favorite restaurants, and lingering walks through museums would be put on hold for now. At the same time, the world began to adapt and respond to our need to explore and connect.

Google Arts and Culture opened up the world’s most respected museums to anyone with internet access. You can now spend hours studying works in Italy’s Uffizi Gallery or the MoMa from the comfort of your couch. Musicians united virtually to continue their concerts online. The New York Philharmonic dedicated this piece to the brave healthcare workers across the globe battling COVID-19. Even the National Parks created virtual tours and videos to help the world explore this country’s crown jewels safely.

At Commonwealth Senior Living, we wanted to ensure that families researching our communities would be able to explore our lifestyle while at the same time safeguarding the health of our residents. In April, we began offering virtual community experiences for families to get a sneak peak of what life could be like for their loved one at one of our communities. What does this mean? It means that families can call our community and schedule a time to connect via Facebook Messenger, Facetime, or Zoom to virtually explore our community and ask questions of and meet our dedicated and knowledgeable team. If families are not connected to Facebook, Zoom or an Apple device for Facetime, we can learn more about what families would like to see, record a video, and send it over via email or text.

In requesting a virtual community experience, think about what will be most important for you to see. Would you like to meet our Resident Care Director? Would your loved one be interested in seeing the garden? Is the view from the window of interest to you? Or perhaps, you would like to meet with one of our resident ambassadors and speak with them about their experience.

Understanding that for many families, the need for support in caring for a loved one has not paused just because we are under stay-at-home orders. Our hope is that making it easier to visit our communities virtually will help families feel comfortable with taking the next step to senior living.

Families across the country and around the world have discovered how to use technology to stay connected. At Commonwealth Senior Living, we are proud to be a part of that trend. If you or someone you know would like the opportunity to explore our lifestyle, please reach out to the community nearest you today. We are here for you.

 

the view from Abingdon

Cracking the Caregiving Code During COVID – Tips for Coping and Self-Care During Crisis

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As if the challenges of being a caregiver for someone you love isn’t challenging enough, here comes COVID 19. Everything you know about human connection and touch has been put to the test and a basic hug or handshake, now has the potential to do harm. All of the self-care practices that make caregiving just a little bit more manageable are suddenly closed and unavailable. Now what?

Take a deep breath, count to 10, you’ve got this. The basic principles of self-care still apply and are still available to you, they may just look a little different. Taking a walk around the block, while maintaining your distance from the neighbors is still one of the best ways to clear your mind, get fresh air and sunshine and that powerful and necessary vitamin D. When you need a little social distance from the one your caring for, a glass of lemonade on the patio for 10 minutes while  they rest, can have the same effect. Take time for yourself to still do the things you enjoy like reading, writing in a journal, gardening; all free, safe and effective tools to keep help you refocus and stay energized.

If you need a little more structure, try a relaxation app on your phone. Some free apps that offer guided meditation, inspiring images and music include:

Many of us are missing  face-to-face connections with  friends and  other family members. Try a group video chat site like ZOOM https://zoom.us/ at no cost and see your best friends and your neighbors all at the same time. You’ll feel like you are in the same room but socially safe and physically distant. Of course, the familiar applications are also available such as Skype, Facetime, and Facebook Messenger Video.

Research shows that getting outside in nature has many mental health benefits as well. Walking has been proven effective in reducing anxiety and depression, and there is further evidence that walking in nature improves those results even further. That’s because different parts of our brain activate in nature. When you need to get out of the house, taking a drive on a nice day with the windows open and music playing helps dispel the feeling of being cooped up. You can do this alone or with the one you’re caring for. The drive will do them good too. Visit an open, free state park, walking trail, lake or riverside bench or path. Go fishing, fly a kite, get take-out and have a picnic and enjoy the spring weather. If it’s raining or lightly thundering, open your windows and enjoy natures relaxing show.

While COVID-19 may be changing everything we know about how we enjoy and take care of ourselves, maybe the silver lining in all of the chaos is the opportunity to reconnect with the simple things in life that we may have taken for granted in the past. Maybe this forced revisit to a simpler time, before technology and schedules and the loud busyness of life became the norm, is a blessing in disguise. Finding the positive in dire times, is also a form of self-care. Take a deep breath, count to 10, and take a moment to find the gratitude and joy wherever you may be, in whatever form life takes.

Our communities will be hosting virtual discussions on coping techniques throughout the month of May. Please reach out to the community nearest you for more information and to RSVP.

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What is the secret to a long life?

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Watch as Susan Pinker, developmental psychologist and TED speaker discusses “the blue zone”, an area on the Italian island of Sardinia where there are six times as many centenarians as on the main land and ten times as many as North America. Why? Friendships and regular social interactions. The harm of being isolated is a real and present danger. The importance of human interactions is the most important factor in longevity. Watch below. If you’re curious how Commonwealth Senior Living is engaging residents in activities, social events and daily excursions, watch our Facebook pages for pictures of our programming, schedule a community experience or contact us with questions at AsktheExperts@commonwealthsl.com.