Lockdown love: apps keep elderly in touch

KEEPING residents entertained, and connected is a priority of Glenn Chidzey, diversional therapist and lifestyle co-ordinator at Homestyle Sea Views Manor in Ocean Grove.
With elderly residents ranging from their early 60s to 101, all fall under the high-risk category for corona virus, and staff have taken the utmost caution in keeping them safe: drastically reduced visitors, no outings, afternoon walks, and no activities in groups.
In order to stay connected to friends and loved ones, Mr Chidzey said they’re embracing modern technology, with heart-warming results.
“As lifestyle co-ordinator it’s my role to ensure residents receive the social, physical, spiritual and emotional support they need through the aged care standards.
“It’s about ensuring they feel like they’re part of a community. Everyone is talking about being isolated during this pandemic, but for the elderly, it’s a different sort of isolation.”
Mr Chidzey said the programs they normally run had unfortunately come to a halt.
“They’re aware of what’s happening in the outside world and want to participate in it, so my role is to facilitate that in a meaningful way. We’d regularly have schools play games with the residents, we facilitate a Rotary program where students pair up with a resident and come once a week to do activities together.
“Some residents have family and friends overseas or interstate, so they rely on these visits and it brings a huge smile to their faces, but we’ve had to temporarily suspend this.”
After they went into lockdown in accordance to regulations, Mr Chidzey said visitors were restricted to two family members per resident for two hours a day.
“Our residents are older, frail and vulnerable. We have to protect them, and the families have been really understanding.”
With residents unable to enjoy outings with their family, daily walks around the lake or movie and shopping trips, they’re embracing FaceTime, Skype and Google Duo instead.
“When residents FaceTime with family, they’re suddenly inside the family home. The dog comes in, the grandkids are running around. They’re taken for a walk into the garden, looking at what flowers and fruits are growing in the backyard.
“It takes residents out of the aged care facility and allows them to look out into the home of their families. You see a difference in the person.
“There’s one lady who has dementia. She wants to see her husband and is agitated and anxious and once she’s spoken with him, it takes away that anxiety.
“It warms your heart; sometimes they might cry, and we tend to cry with them.”
From a modified Anzac service video, they put together including the ode read by a 101-year-old World War II veteran, Mr Chidzey said they’re doing everything they can to keep up residents’ morale.
“If anyone in the community would like to write a letter to our residents, we welcome that. A six-year-old girl in Barwon Heads did and sent a box of chocolates with the letter, and they shared the letter and chocolates around.
“It’s a lovely way to remind our residents that they are not alone, and that the community is thinking of them.”