How to entertain yourself in the weeks ahead as lockdown drags on?
As lockdown continues with no definite end in sight, especially for the over 70s, we need to adapt to our new “everyday”. The whole nation is trying to find new and interesting ways to entertain themselves so we have collated some fun ideas for you to try out during this quarantine.
Firstly, this could be a perfect time for you to brush up and improve your tech skills so that communicating with family and friends is easier. Some of the most popular ways of interacting with other people from your front room have become through programmes like Skype, Facetime and WhatsApp. Another platform – Zoom meetings – has become very popular because of its simple functionality. All these methods are simple to use with a mobile phone or tablet and they provide a different more interactive way of talking to various people at the same time, but you’ll have to remember to let everyone get a turn to speak as it is easy to all talk at the same time!
Many people are getting inventive organising family quizzes, virtual pub nights and making sure big family events (birthdays and anniversaries) are properly celebrated with loved ones.
See a video tutorial for how to use Zoom here or for more in depth knowledge go to tutorial page.
Screen sharing and online video chats are one way to interact in a different way with your family and friends as you could play board games or parlour games over these calls. However, there are websites that allow you to play a wide variety of different games online with friends and family such as whist [press multiplayer and get link to invite friends] or other cards games https://cardgames.io/. If you prefer other games go to this board games site for all manner of choices.
In addition to improving your social life you could try something different to broaden your horizons.
It is easier than ever to “travel” to some of the world’s most desirable locations using your pc, tablet or even mobile. Why not take the opportunity to discover places across the world from your living room? Virtual tours have grown in popularity during this lockdown and we have checked out what is available in the UK and elsewhere:
- Stonehenge, Wiltshire
- Petra, Jordan
- Machu Picchu, Peru
- Taj Mahal, India
- The British Museum, London
- The Acropolis, Athens
- Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
- The Louvre museum, Paris
- The Vatican, Rome
- The Royal Academy of Arts, London
Moreover, to enhance your experience online you could plug your laptop into your TV following the simple steps shown in this link. Or if you prefer be even more adventurous check out this link on the Which? website that shows you how to project your phone or tablet screen on to your TV.
Virtual interaction may help in maintaining your mental health during lockdown, but it is also extremely important not to neglect the physical side of things. All too easy if you are like us and have piled on a few pounds. If you are bored of going on local walks or would simply like to mix things up there are exercise classes and exercises designed specifically for seniors that you could give a try. Here are some of our favourites plus a link to an earlier blog about this.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVMu31DLQU (UK)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDLad2vOHkU (USA)
- https://bespokebathing.co.uk/2020/05/01/how-to-stay-healthy-in-body-and-mind/
“Move it or lose it” is Facebook page also provides free workouts for the elderly.
We hope that these ideas will inspire you please contact us with suggestions of your own that we will add to our Facebook page and to this blog.
