When you’re thinking of who is being affected during the pandemic, what comes to mind?
I think of the seniors, I have heard from people in my life talking about the toll it is having on the lives of the older people. It got me thinking about ways that we could help all people feel less alone.
I saw a family standing on the sidewalk this week smiling and waving an older lady in her apartment window that touched my heart.
If you know someone that is needing a little encouragement you could write a letter
or make a small card If you are new to handwritten letters here is good instructions to help you. Even how to address the envelope! https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Letter-to-a-Friend
Cards: craft.https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/diy-christmas-cards-4177042
One thing I like to do is, include a self-addressed return address with a stamp, then people that might not wish to go out can write you back without worrying about having a stamp. When I’m writing to someone with a visual impairment I write the note bigger or type it in a large font.
Being a lover of tea, I sometimes add a package of my favorite tea, with a short note that says I will be thinking about you when I have my next tea, hope you enjoy yours.
If you are musically inclined you could go do distance playing an instrument or sing for then from outside where they live. We can send a meal to them via a delivery service, like Uber eats, send flowers is also an option.
Have you thought about making them a voice recording or a cd of music they would love?
Video chats are another way to stay connected. Google (Hangeouts), Facebook, Zoom and Skype are some of the programs I know of for video chats.
Picking up the phone, so they can hear you, touching people with the sound of your voice is great. Sometimes with the phone, we need to set a time limit, which can be hard but it is ok to let time to talk. You can say “Hey I don’t have long to talk but you were on my mind and I wanted to say a quick hi”
Some people I know are helping each other feel thought about by lending movies, books or music via drop off at the door no contact. This can work for people in care facilities too, phone the office of where your human resides, ask if it is ok if I drop off something for them. Put their name on it and your phone number then drop it at the front desk. You can add a little handwritten note as well.
I have been enjoying Teleparty with friends and some of the groups I belong to. It is a way to watch a movie or show at different homes with a built-in typing chat. So you can watch the movie and type to your friends. This is something that can only be used on Chrome browser on a laptop or a desktop computer, sadly phones and tablets are not yet supported.
If you want to give it a try you both must have the paid supported platforms. Here is a link to see if you have one of the supported platforms. Teleparty https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/netflix-party-is-now-tele/oocalimimngaihdkbihfgmpkcpnmlaoa?hl=en
Here is a YouTube link to help you, I had a hard time getting this working when I started. I would have liked a video then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgNGiSWaX_k
Dropping off surprises for people can be a valued way to let people know you are thinking of them.
There are some groups out there that you can sign up for that you get neat things/surprises dropped off. Please don’t ever drop off anything to people without knowing for sure it is ok to share a dropped off a surprise.
Hope you all do something nice for you or someone else!
This is where it starts 