We are clearly living in interesting times. As COVID-19 changes the way we spend our days, doing the right thing by each other and the wider community means we’re all feeling a bit cooped up. But physical isolation doesn’t mean you have to be socially isolated. Far from it.

Now’s the time to embrace creative ways to connect and share. The good news is that we can all choose to focus on the positive. Instead of thinking about restrictions and scarcity (pasta and toilet paper!), let’s make a pact to see the richness around us. At Feros Care we’re determined to reframe our outlook and the way we stay socially connected. Sure, it’s going to take a bit more effort – but it’s worth it.

Here are some practical quarantine tips and fun ways to stay connected.

Connect online

Family and friends

The enforced social distancing from loved ones is hard on everyone, but you can stay in touch. While it’s not technically an online solution, a good old-fashioned phone call can bridge the distance. Make a cuppa, sit down and settle in for a nice long chat.

Missing the grandkids? Get some help to set up a FaceTime or Skype video call. Then you can see their faces and make it a routine to share a nightly bedtime story.

Download Skype here to get started

Community

Come together virtually to stay involved, entertained and stimulated. The internet is bursting with COVID-19 inspired online classes and initiatives. Feros Care’s Virtual Social Centre (VSC) is also a great place to hang out with other like-minded seniors. VSC is a ready-made online community for seniors, curated by Feros Care. So jump online and jump into special interest groups, workshops, book clubs, wellbeing sessions, indoor workouts, chat groups, challenging brain games and so much more. Not computer savvy? Feros Care can get you sorted with training and support. Plus our people can advise you on government funding which is available to help with the cost of getting connected.

Find out more about the Virtual Social Centre here

Learn and do

Staying busy is an antidote to cabin fever – and it helps the time fly by. Check out these online quarantine activities you can do wherever you are.

Learn to DIY 

Got a repair job you’ve been putting off? Don’t we all! There’s a YouTube video for fixing just about everything. And we mean everything! Or don’t want to go to the shops? Go online instead for ‘how to’ videos on making your own pasta or hand sanitiser.

Watch this video on how to make homemade pasta

Explore mindfulness

Look after your mental wellbeing with some zen time. There are thousands of mindfulness and meditation sessions to tap into. Our favourite is an app called Calm.

Download Calm here

Podcasts and audio books 

Just sit, listen and be entertained. Who could resist the voice of Alan Alder (aka Hawkeye Pierce) as he reads his own book? Or Sherlock Holmes narrated by Stephen Fry?

Have you listened to Feros Care's Grow Bold with Disability podcast? Now's your chance!

Click here to find out more

Travel – virtually!

Fasten your seatbelt for some armchair travel, with virtual tours via our VSC. Or explore the sub culture of slow train travel enthusiasts. Via YouTube you can take the two hour journey from San Remo to Genoa in Italy, from the train driver’s perspective.

Sign up the Virtual Social Centre here

Unplug and go back to basics

Tech can be our best friend, and our enemy. We all need to switch off at times, so we can appreciate these simple pleasures...

Go green 

Plant some flower seeds or herbs and keep them on your kitchen windowsill.

Get cooking 

Flex those culinary skills! Delve into those untouched cookbooks and make a pact to cook one new recipe each week.

Go old school 

Who doesn’t love a good card game? Or take on a giant jigsaw puzzle, which can be very calming on the mind. Go back to writing letters – young grandchildren especially love the novelty of receiving ‘snail mail’.

Put your hand up for support

You might be home alone, but you are not alone. Be Someone For Someone is a Feros Care initiative to tackle loneliness – whether it’s short-term, thanks to COVID-19, or long-term. Sign up for a regular friendly phone call from a volunteer or, when normality is restored, for a visit. Working together with In Great Company there’s an army of volunteers willing to share a meal, walk the dog or teach you computer skills.

Most importantly, remember that we’re all in this together and that’s how we’ll get through it. Besides, if the Italians in lockdown can dance and sing opera from their balconies, so can we.

Read our article on how to look after your wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak here. 

For more information on coronavirus and Feros Care's processes surrounding it, click here.