Healthy Living
How older adults can stay socially connected while physically isolated
05 May 2021 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
“Can no one help me?”
Tony Williams, 75, posted that plea in the front window of his U.K. home in autumn 2020. Recently widowed, Williams was so desperate for friendship during the pandemic that he displayed his plight on a sign for passersby:
“I have lost Jo. My lovely wife and soul mate. I have no friends or family. No one to talk to. I find the unremitting silence 24 hours a day unbearable torture. Can no one help me?”
Williams had fallen victim to the other global pandemic: an outbreak of isolation and loneliness among senior citizens socially distancing due to COVID-19.
A poll conducted nearly a year into the pandemic found 47 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and older felt lonely due to physical and social distancing, a jump of 14 percentage points from three months earlier.
It’s a problem that can have serious consequences. Research has shown socially isolated seniors in Canada are at greater risk of falls, hospitalization, depression, suicide and premature death.
What can we do about this? Here are some ways to help seniors maintain vital social connections.
Learning new tricks
During the pandemic, many seniors have maintained contact with others through phone calls, video chats and outdoor visits, including masked and distanced walks outside. But there are other ways you can socialize safely.
How about learning a new skill? Online classes abound in everything from cooking and dancing to writing your memoirs or picking up another language. Virtual programs range from free community activities to fee-based college and university courses.
Besides keeping seniors socially engaged, online learning can help you stay cognitively sharp as well.
Virtual gatherings
Many seniors’ activities haven’t vanished during the pandemic — they’ve simply gone virtual.
For example, the City of Toronto maintains a list of hundreds of seniors’ group activities available online, including tai chi, book clubs, coffee chats and trivia games. Several are offered in non-English languages, and every program listed is free.
The YMCA of Greater Toronto also provides a variety of programs for Toronto seniors, including travel talks, trivia get-togethers and light exercise including yoga and meditation.
There are also apps such as Discord. Easy to use, the app allows people in different locations to view a streamed movie or TV show as a group from their own devices. Everyone can chime in to share jokes and comments like they’re in the same room together.
Tech training
Although virtual technology can help older people stay active, some seniors don’t have mobile devices or know how to use them. If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Fortunately there’s plenty of good information online these days, from the most suitable smartphones for seniors to the best user plans for your needs.
Another helpful resource is a charity called Seniors Can Connect! that supplies free pre-configured devices and tech training for older Canadians. In Toronto, SPLC offers 40-minute technology tutorials for eldery people over the phone, so you can get assistance from someone who understands your device and how to give you helpful advice.
Lending an ear
Seniors without computers or reliable Internet service can still stay connected by telephone. In the Student-Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership, University of Toronto medical students provide older adults with companionship and wellness tips over the phone.
Lonesome seniors can also chat with trained volunteers from A Friendly Voice by calling 1-855-892-9992.
Feeling adventurous? If you do have a computer, smartphone or tablet that is connected to the Internet, Quarantine Chat is an app that facilitates anonymous phone conversations between random strangers around the world. You never know who you’ll speak with, and that’s half the fun of it!
Pen pal power
Low-tech letters can make a big difference! Hundreds of people from around the world have written and emailed Canadian seniors in long-term care facilities and retirement homes since the Caring and Connecting Pen Pal Initiative launched in spring 2020.
Remember British widower Tony Williams? After media coverage of his window sign, he too received letters, emails and phone calls from around the globe. His advice for other pandemic-weary seniors? Don’t give up on finding your own way to stay connected.
As he told a U.K. newspaper, “I hope the message goes out. That you can find a way out of loneliness.”
By reaching out to others, just like Tony Williams, you will also be able to connect with people like never before. We must remember there are many others just like us who are also in need of companionship. Whether it’s a surprising random conversation, a pleasant stroll with someone new or a thoughtful postcard from an old friend, these messages can make all the difference. So, go ahead and take that first step! Explore The Bright Spot’s programming to get started.
Tony Williams, 75, posted that plea in the front window of his U.K. home in autumn 2020. Recently widowed, Williams was so desperate for friendship during the pandemic that he displayed his plight on a sign for passersby:
“I have lost Jo. My lovely wife and soul mate. I have no friends or family. No one to talk to. I find the unremitting silence 24 hours a day unbearable torture. Can no one help me?”
Williams had fallen victim to the other global pandemic: an outbreak of isolation and loneliness among senior citizens socially distancing due to COVID-19.
A poll conducted nearly a year into the pandemic found 47 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and older felt lonely due to physical and social distancing, a jump of 14 percentage points from three months earlier.
It’s a problem that can have serious consequences. Research has shown socially isolated seniors in Canada are at greater risk of falls, hospitalization, depression, suicide and premature death.
What can we do about this? Here are some ways to help seniors maintain vital social connections.
Learning new tricks
During the pandemic, many seniors have maintained contact with others through phone calls, video chats and outdoor visits, including masked and distanced walks outside. But there are other ways you can socialize safely.
How about learning a new skill? Online classes abound in everything from cooking and dancing to writing your memoirs or picking up another language. Virtual programs range from free community activities to fee-based college and university courses.
Besides keeping seniors socially engaged, online learning can help you stay cognitively sharp as well.
Virtual gatherings
Many seniors’ activities haven’t vanished during the pandemic — they’ve simply gone virtual.
For example, the City of Toronto maintains a list of hundreds of seniors’ group activities available online, including tai chi, book clubs, coffee chats and trivia games. Several are offered in non-English languages, and every program listed is free.
The YMCA of Greater Toronto also provides a variety of programs for Toronto seniors, including travel talks, trivia get-togethers and light exercise including yoga and meditation.
There are also apps such as Discord. Easy to use, the app allows people in different locations to view a streamed movie or TV show as a group from their own devices. Everyone can chime in to share jokes and comments like they’re in the same room together.
Tech training
Although virtual technology can help older people stay active, some seniors don’t have mobile devices or know how to use them. If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Fortunately there’s plenty of good information online these days, from the most suitable smartphones for seniors to the best user plans for your needs.
Another helpful resource is a charity called Seniors Can Connect! that supplies free pre-configured devices and tech training for older Canadians. In Toronto, SPLC offers 40-minute technology tutorials for eldery people over the phone, so you can get assistance from someone who understands your device and how to give you helpful advice.
Lending an ear
Seniors without computers or reliable Internet service can still stay connected by telephone. In the Student-Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership, University of Toronto medical students provide older adults with companionship and wellness tips over the phone.
Lonesome seniors can also chat with trained volunteers from A Friendly Voice by calling 1-855-892-9992.
Feeling adventurous? If you do have a computer, smartphone or tablet that is connected to the Internet, Quarantine Chat is an app that facilitates anonymous phone conversations between random strangers around the world. You never know who you’ll speak with, and that’s half the fun of it!
Pen pal power
Low-tech letters can make a big difference! Hundreds of people from around the world have written and emailed Canadian seniors in long-term care facilities and retirement homes since the Caring and Connecting Pen Pal Initiative launched in spring 2020.
Remember British widower Tony Williams? After media coverage of his window sign, he too received letters, emails and phone calls from around the globe. His advice for other pandemic-weary seniors? Don’t give up on finding your own way to stay connected.
As he told a U.K. newspaper, “I hope the message goes out. That you can find a way out of loneliness.”
By reaching out to others, just like Tony Williams, you will also be able to connect with people like never before. We must remember there are many others just like us who are also in need of companionship. Whether it’s a surprising random conversation, a pleasant stroll with someone new or a thoughtful postcard from an old friend, these messages can make all the difference. So, go ahead and take that first step! Explore The Bright Spot’s programming to get started.
