How can we support the Swindon elderly during lockdown?

Keep in touch with relatives

Keeping in touch with relatives and friends through services such as video chat is a great way to help support the elderly through this difficult time. If your grandparents aren’t that technology-savvy then you can help set up their smartphone devices through a phone call, and in no time they will be able to video chat and communicate with the family. 

Video chat will allow them to interact with friends and relatives much more than a standard phone call will as you show off what you’ve been doing and even play games such as hosting a family quiz through video chat. 

Video chat services that we recommend are: FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, and Skype.

Design A Fitness Plan For Them

Staying active is important and it becomes even more important as you get older. So one great way to support the elderly in your area is to offer to make a basic fitness plan for them. Designing a quick and easy routine which they can do around the house and garden will keep them moving and will help pass the time. 

Exercising over video chat together is a great way of motivating one another and will make your exercise routine a lot more fun.

If you’re not sure on what routine to put together then check out our guide to keeping fit in lockdown here.

Offer To Pick Up Their Shopping

If you know of elderly people in your community who are unable to visit the supermarkets and pick up their own shopping, simply offering to do it for them is a real showing of support. Many elderly and vulnerable people have been urged to stay indoors so this is a great idea to help make sure they get everything they need. 

When you’ve collected the shopping just leave it on their doorstep and watch from a distance to make sure they get it inside without any problems.

Send Letters To Each Other

Whilst we have access to innovative pieces of modern-day technology, there is sometimes nothing better than writing a letter to someone. The older generation are much more accustom to writing letters than they are using smartphones so this is an easy way to communicate and will be a welcome touch from the elderly members in your family and the community. 

You could write letters talking about strategies they may have used to get through tough times in the years gone by or event have your children write them letters and draw pictures which will certainly help to brighten up their day and make lockdown that little bit more bearable. 

Send Them TV Guides

With many of the elderly of our communities unable to go to the shops at the moment, one great way to show your support is to send them current tv guides with programmes that you think they may find interesting circled. 

This is a really easy way to support the elderly through these tough times and will help give them something to look forward to in the evenings with a host of great television shows and series currently on tv.