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Keeping in contact with loved ones in aged care during the coronavirus

In times like these, our days might feel a bit more stressed and anxious. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything on the news and get swept into a rabbit hole of COVID-19 news and speculation.

So, it is important to stop, take a breath and connect with the people we hold dear. Our friends and family are an essential support network that we can rely on.

But with aged care, this situation becomes more difficult. Older Australians are more at risk and need a high level of risk management and care. Physical contact is now being limited to stop the spread of coronavirus. Twilight Aged Care, and other aged care facilities around Australia, are locking down our homes to protect vulnerable residents from the risk of coronavirus.

So, this means we will have to connect with elderly loved ones in new ways. Luckily, there are some simple alternatives and tips for doing this.

Common alternatives to visiting:

• Skyping or Facetiming relatives is a wonderful way to keep in contact without any risks to health. Both Skype and Facebook are free applications that are easy to use, and some aged care facilities (Twilight Aged Care included) are organizing to keep families in contact with each other through these digital services. If you would prefer to use another application, contact our home and we will accommodate the request.
• Calling or texting is also an acceptable way to message your loved one and make sure that they are feeling alright in these trying times. This is also a method that isn’t affected by a poor internet signal (from everyone in the area working from home at once!)

Digital tips for talking to loved ones in aged care:

• Time this like a regular visit. Set aside the time you would usually allot when visiting them in aged care.
• Follow the usual pattern of conversation that you would use when chatting. If you usually start chatting by talking about what you had for lunch, start this one the same way. Your loved one may have become accustomed to this style of conversation. Keeping patterns will prevent confusion (especially for residents who have trouble conversing) and will create a comfortable feeling of familiarity
• Fill people in on recent events. Call or Skype in after family events and during birthdays. It’s the little things that make us feel included and less isolated
• Talking to loved ones with dementia is complicated even in an ordinary situation, we have some advice for that here.

Getting in contact:

People who want to get in contact, schedule weekly online chats, or explore communication options with relatives and friends at Twilight Aged Care can do so here. Call the our home to get in contact with our Concierge.

• Glades Bay Gardens tel. 9817 0722
• Glengarry tel. 9969 0907
• Horton House tel. 8886 2100
• Hunters Hill Village tel. 9816 1239

Our new Concierge will work directly with friends and families to assist you with your technology needs. If you wish to discuss this further, please speak with our Facility Managers.

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