With or without the novel coronavirus disrupting all of our lives, our elderly loved ones can get bored at home. They’ve retired from their jobs, they can’t go out as much as they used to, their bodies don’t respond as they did before, and they may frequently feel depressed about nearing the end of life and sad if they think they’re being “a burden” to anyone.
On top of these existing mental health concerns comes our current situation with COVID-19, which is sometimes being referred to as “the grandparents’ disease” as the elderly are most likely to die from the virus. All of this heaps additional stress on the elderly and exacerbates mental health challenges already present.
Just as we plan activities for our children at home, let’s not forget the older members of our family, who also need us very much at this time. Whether you live with them or they’re alone, here are some ideas for how we can help our older adults to have fun and feel useful and loved.