5 ways to prevent loneliness for a loved one in a care home

Care homes have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Therapy dogs, choirs and most importantly, visits from loved ones, meant living in a care home was often far from lonely before the pandemic.

Restrictions have been put in place for visits to care homes since March, when cases of coronavirus began to accelerate in the UK and the government imposed a national lockdown. Care homes were then advised to limit visits to exceptional circumstances, such as end of life.

Despite the devastation COVID-19 has caused across the world, it’s transformed our behaviour and led to new innovative ways of keeping in touch and articulating our love for one another.

Here are the best ways to prevent loneliness for someone you love in a care home during the coronavirus pandemic:

1.       Record their life story

A brilliant way of staying connected, and reliving cherished memories in the process, is to record the life story of your loved one. The service is free and entirely remote, with a volunteer who helps to elicit heart-warming conversations and record treasured memories for years to come.

2.       Utilise technology

Even though there are lots of benefits to putting down your phone, especially when it comes to mental health and sleep quality, it’s been a blessing when it comes to keeping in touch during the pandemic. If your loved one struggles with technology, ask if the staff can assist you. Even if you find yourself FaceTiming an ear, your loved one will still benefit from hearing your voice and having some form of social contact.

3.       Send photographs

If technology is too confusing for your loved one, you can rest assured that they’ll find some comfort in looking through old photographs. Pick some of your favourites and create a photo album to send to the care home.

4.       Get relatives and loved ones to send paintings and cards

A home-made gift is particularly meaningful and often brings a smile to the face of the receiver. If your loved one has grandkids, a painting or hand-written card will be treasured.

5.       Tell them how much you love them

As simple as this sounds, it’s important to remind your friend or relative how much you love them, more often than usual. Let them know that the restrictions are not in place perpetually and as the number of effective vaccines continues to increase, care home visits become a more plausible option.

News surrounding coronavirus and care homes is overwhelmingly negative, but it’s important to remember that there have been plenty of encouraging breakthroughs since the beginning of the pandemic. Care homes have overcome huge barriers to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading and the vaccine is currently being rolled out, with care home staff a priority.

Throughout the hardship and pain of having a loved one in a care home during a global pandemic, it’s important to remember one thing: This too shall pass.

Life Stories Hitting the Air Waves

On Monday 16th November 2020, our Founder and CEO Barbara Altounyan spoke to Jo Good on BBC Radio London about how The Hospice Biographers and Family Talk are bringing families together during lockdown.

Using remote smartphone technology, we are tackling social isolation and creating heart-warming conversations between family and friends.

Listen to the interview in full below: