As the nation faces the Coronavirus pandemic, each week we find new ways to stay in touch with our friends and family. Most people use social media like Facebook and their messenger platform to talk to those they cannot see in person anymore. But what about the senior community?

Most of the senior communities and retirement homes are struggling to keep normal interaction with the outside world during this pandemic. Family and friends would usually be able to visit in person. Due to the lockdown in most states, there is not really any way for families to physically see or touch their loved ones. The situation only gets worse as Coronavirus is affecting more and more senior communities due to the struggle of social distancing.

For patients with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, this can be detrimental to their care as a routine and regular interaction with others keeps their minds sharp and helps slow down memory loss. They become agitated when there are changes to their schedule.

Webinar platforms have allowed many people to connect through virtual interaction and meetings. Along with the fact that these platforms have been user friendly and there are interactive videos to help connect with those that we cannot see physically. In the age of COVID-19 video chat has become a lifeline for more and more seniors.

There is still more that we can do as a community. For many of these senior communities and those that are affected by health problems that do not allow them to venture outside, there is an issue to accessing technology. A lot of these communities do not have the resources to provide tablets and computers to video chat or message loved ones. But there are some people, that again, are finding creative solutions to allow us to connect.

Online communities have started to reach out like Twitch and other streaming services which are teaching people of all ages to play board games like chess and checkers. Teaching the games has allowed families to connect and play with their loved ones in senior communities over video conferences. Some senior communities have even set up video chats with chess teams at different high schools and colleges for seniors to play against students of all ages.

Studies have shown that more and more seniors have adopted smartphones and apps have become a new way for the generation gap to close and open new ways to communicate. Games like Scrabble and Words with Friends have allowed seniors and younger generations to interact as well as keeping their cognitive abilities strong. More and more seniors are relying on communities to have access to the internet that was not available in their previous residences. This is a problem many families face as most of the United States still relies on landlines to communicate with each other.

With the problems during these trying times, there is a struggle to reach and take care of the seniors in our community while adhering to social distancing guidelines. During this struggle there are resources to help close the gap in communication, allow seniors to find their new home in a senior community and to be taken care of without family or loved ones risking exposure to COVID-19. Elderwerks and their vast network of senior communities and services can help you. Elderwerks offers a free consultation service and connections to communities to allow seniors to be taken care of. They find communities that will give responsible and reliable access to communication with your loved ones. Drawing on their years of experience they can help you find your loved one’s new home and help close the gap of social distancing in a safe way.