Helping The Isolated During Lockdown
The key to surviving lockdown unscathed is to put yourself in a position where you can be healthy and happy. Sadly, not everybody has the same support group or network of friends to rely on during self-isolation. Your elderly relatives, for instance, may have to shield to avoid putting their lives at risk.
As a result, it’s feasible that they haven’t left the house for months. With the pandemic experiencing a second spike in the US, this could turn into a full year of house arrest. For these people, maintaining a positive attitude is a challenge. Imagine attempting to remain bright and chirpy when your daily routine never changes.
Many people have been focusing on themselves and how they can ease anxiety and lead a healthier lifestyle during a lockdown, yet there are loved ones that require your assistance.ha Without it, their mental health could deteriorate rapidly. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on the things you can do to ensure they don’t feel isolated and alone for the remainder of the health crisis.
Continue reading to find out more about how you should help the people who are in an even more challenging lockdown situation than you.
Pick Up The Phone
You have no problem scheduling a Zoom meeting or connecting to an appointment via Microsoft Teams. For you, a millennial, it’s the easiest thing in the world since you grew up with the technology and use it daily. Older generations aren’t as adept at dealing with advancements in tech, and it’s vital to consider this when trying to stay in contact.
After all, your elderly parents or grandparents may not understand how to download an app and accept a call. And, it’s not as if you are allowed into the house to show them the ropes. As such, it’s often smarter to lean on the tried and tested methods of communication - phone calls and text messages.
Both are used by a wide range of demographics, including Baby Boomers. Research shows that positive social support enhances a person’s resilience to deal with uncertainty, regardless of the method. Yes, a simple phone call really is that powerful.
If you are busy and don’t have time for a long call, you can send a text message to touch base and make sure nothing is wrong. Still, it’s crucial that your isolated loved ones hear your voice as it lets them vent, so a semi-regular call is a must.
Find Safe Ways To Connect Face-To-Face
Although video calls are excellent for maintaining a bond during tough times, nothing makes up for socializing face-to-face. Even if you can ring loved ones often and cheer them up, it’s essential to try and interact in person. By doing this, you’ll help to reduce the feelings of loneliness, but you must do it safely. Otherwise, it’s counterproductive.
What are your options? It depends on the individual. For example, if your parents or grandparents have a back or front garden, you could gather around the fencing. That way, you’d be one to two meters away, and nobody would be at risk, but you would be able to laugh, joke, and smile. If this isn’t doable, you may have to speak to them through the window from outside.
Alternatively, arrange to meet up in an open space where the viruses' hazards are less pronounced. Studies suggest that UV light kills off COVID-19 almost as soon as it leaves the body, which means social distancing in a park could be an excellent way to eliminate isolation.
Of course, you should be aware of crowds as too many people will limit your ability to interact safely.
Ask Their Neighbors To Lend A Hand
Unfortunately, you can’t be around to help twenty-four-hours a day. As a result, you won’t be able to pitch in when they need you the most, or even worse, your loved ones won’t open up because they don’t want to bother you while you’re busy. Even if you have siblings and relatives, they will probably be in the same situation.
This is a tricky predicament because you must strike a perfect balance between helping others and ensuring your personal life is stable. An option that most people fail to utilize is the community's spirit. While neighborly love may not be as strong now as previously, most neighbors are glad to be of service.
All you have to do is call them and ask them to keep an eye on your parents or grandparents. It can be as simple as standing outside and sparking a conversation. You don’t need them to run errands as you have that area locked down. The base that you can’t cover is a friendly smile or a neighborly “hello” in the morning.
The community could get behind the isolated already, yet it doesn’t hurt to ask just to make sure.
Hire A Professional
If you can’t convince a neighbor to lend a hand, you may be able to hire a professional to take care of some responsibilities. Healthcare workers are allowed into peoples’ homes to provide essential treatments and services, and your loved ones could be eligible.
Obviously, they require assistance if their normal motor functions aren’t as sharp as before and it puts their lifestyle at risk. However, the most frequently asked live-in care questions revolve around mental health, also. Some providers specialize in mental health, and they will send nurses to perform necessary functions.
For example, as well as taking blood pressure and sprucing up the house, they will sit down and talk about how they feel in themselves. The great thing about these services is that they don’t have to live in or stay in the property for long. You could split shifts so that they are around for a couple of hours a day before you arrive and take over.
So, if your loved ones are isolating and struggle to bathe, cook, or move around without help, hiring a carer is well worth considering.
Promote Exercise
People who are isolated during lockdown don’t have it easy. However, this doesn’t mean that they can’t help themselves. The key is for them to invest in a straightforward routine that boosts their mood and keeps the blues away, and it starts with exercise. Working out, especially if they are elderly, isn’t a piece of cake since they are housebound.
Let’s face it - those most likely to shield aren’t into home-based workouts. In all likelihood, their main form of exercise is walking or something that isn’t high in intensity. Quarantine means that this isn’t an option, which suggests your loved ones aren’t getting the amount of exercise required.
Only 23% of Americans get enough exercise, and that’s when there isn’t a global pandemic! The key is to promote ways for them to get the blood pumping and burn calories that are accessible and enjoyable. Many people from elderly generations find that yoga is a fantastic middle ground because it combines low-intensity exercise with core strength.
The result is that the metabolism increases and prevents weight gain. Alternatively, they can be creative within the home. Walking up and down the stairs seems easy, but it’s a lot tougher than it appears after you’ve done it five or six times! They’ll hit around eleven calories per minute if they pick up the speed.
Aside from the physical benefits, the mental aspect is huge, too. You’ll find that people who self-isolate who exercise are less dependent and not as cranky after working out.
Guide Them Through Easement
The chances are high that those who are isolating will be allowed more perks in the coming months. Even with a second spike expected, the states and the federal government have differing views on how to handle the crisis. With that in mind, it’s important to indulge people who have been stuck at home for months.
However, you should be wary of them returning to their old habits straight away. Firstly, the virus is by no means defeated, which means there’s still a chance they could catch it and put their wellbeing at risk. Secondly, being cooped up at home for months on end affects mental health.
Your loved ones may find that they don’t know how to communicate in the same way as they did previously, and it’s disheartening. Therefore, the key is to ease them through any lifting of restrictions so that their mindset doesn’t take a hit. For starters, you can integrate them back into family functions and events so that they feel safe and secure.
After that, you may want to start taking them to more crowded places while maintaining social distancing measures.
Summary
If you’re finding lockdown hard, your loved ones who are isolating will, too. To help them, you must connect whichever way you can, such as making regular calls or speaking in person from a distance.
Of course, if they are elderly and require constant assistance, the best option is to hire expert carers to share some of the responsibilities.
