Helping your residents stay engaged and connected during a lockdown

The current COVID-19 situation is challenging for Aged Care as governments in Australia and New Zealand are striving to adapt to the ever-changing conditions of this health crisis.

At the forefront of everyone's mind is to keep those who are most vulnerable as safe as possible. At the time of writing, both New Zealand and Australia have shut down all but essential services and are strongly discouraging social gatherings of more than 10 people.

Aged Care organizations have banned all visitors to their facilities and many have implemented social distancing within their Aged Care homes.

From a health perspective, this is what needs to happen, but many residents will start to feel lonely and isolated.

We’ve created a list of activities and ideas you can easily implement in your facility to help your residents feel connected and part of their community despite the restrictions currently in place.

Online apps

If your facility has access to the internet and your residents have devices such as smartphones and tablets, there are many social games (games where you play with other people taking turns as you would in real life) such as Words With Friends, Checkers and Chess which can be set up on a smartphone so they can play with a friend in the next room, or family and relatives on the other side of the world. So rather than sitting alone for morning and afternoon tea, residents can enjoy a delicious sandwich and a cup of tea while they connect through their favourite game.

Corridor Connections

To avoid residents eating alone in their rooms at every meal, Sunnyside Care Centre in Minnesota in the USA posted the idea of connecting via the corridor. Residents sit in the doorway of their room with a small table facing out into the corridor so they can see and talk to other residents. Carers are able to move freely from one to the next serving tea, coffee and mid-meal snacks as well as facilitating fun activities. Residents and carers are able to maintain the appropriate physical distance at all times other than when necessary to assist a resident.

Memory

Bingo

This is a simple activity to set up and run for staff. It can also be part of morning or afternoon tea.

Other reports are of Bingo being played over the central speaker system with residents safely in their own rooms and using their buzzer when they fill their card.

[Source: The Lantern Project facebook page]

Rules for Bingo

You can easily create variations of the traditional number version of the game by using the names of other residents, the care staff, or even their favourite meals and deserts.

Trivia

A round of trivia questions can be entertaining, fun and help spark conversations. Try these Winter Trivia questions, best served with a comforting soup and lots of laughter.

There have been images posted on social media of people visiting their elderly relatives and friends ‘through the glass’. One man has been sitting outside his elderly father’s window everyday at mealtimes with a sandwich, on a Facetime call with each other, as they enjoy their meal and a conversation together—apart.

Another idea shared on social media is of a grandchild and a grandparent playing Noughts and Crosses through a glass door using tape and non-permanent markers.

[Source: The Lantern Project facebook page]

Pinesong Village in Auckland, New Zealand has initiated a Pen Pal programme for their residents and are looking for any facilities in NZ or Australia that would like to participate. They are hoping to connect people through postcards and letters to form new friendships. If your facility is interested, please contact Pinesong via their website.

With many people having access to devices such as iPads and smartphones which are simple to operate, and apps such as Zoom, creating a family dining experience is only a few screen taps away. For families who are used to visiting regularly, setting up a dining time with an elderly relative can help families feel connected and engaged throughout this challenging period. Help your residents arrange the time and have them set up and ready to connect with the family. You can even share meal plans with the family, so everyone is eating the same food!

Click here for more information and tips on supporting older residents in isolation.

For the latest updates on COVID-19 in Aged Care advice, guidelines and restrictions always refer to the Australian Government Department of Health. Individual Aged Care facilities will take the necessary measures to keep residents healthy and safe.