Dear Clients and Friends,

Birthdays, births, end of life, anniversaries, graduations, Passover, Easter and so many other special occasions have been dampened during this shutdown.  As social distancing progresses and is extended to May 15th, everyone is trying to find ways to balance life!

Last week, the challenge for me was to balance caring for my two-year-old granddaughter and work, because her mommy (my daughter) was due to have her second child.  My little dear one attended Zoom meetings with me and stepped in as a fabulous office assistant.

We woke up early together, organized the day and shared a breakfast of berries and eggs with toast? often with a squeeze pouch applesauce.  As we “normalized” through the day with calls and meetings, she gently rummaged through my bags, remaining mostly silent while I rallied through a serious family video meeting.

Then I looked up…she had found an eye pencil in my bag and liberally applied it all over her tummy and hands! I wanted to laugh and take a picture, but I was supposed to be serious during my meeting.  I balanced the call and her creative outpouring as she wiped her now-black hands all over her mom’s white bed covering.  What to do?  Mute the audio and slide the camera out of focus to do a quick clean up and distract her with makeup brushes, then back to the call  –  smooth as glass  – like nothing happened  –  I think!

In SHAPE UP Your Longevity, ‘H’ stands for Healthy Life Balance.

I am trying to take this time to be more contemplative, laugh with friends and family on the phone and Zoom, and join community leaders to solve some local concerns for seniors.

Research tells us that finding ways to de-stress, replenish and learn new things can help us reduce depression and debilitating diseases.  Easier said than done, especially now.  The question is, how do we de-stress and replenish in this environment? Here are some ideas:

1. Take a nap when your loved one sleeps. When I had my first child 30 years ago, a wise nurse told me, “You are still only going to get the same number of things done in a day as you did before the baby. What are you willing to let go of so you can take a nap when the baby sleeps?”  It doesn’t matter how old the person is that you’re caring for, you still need to find the moments to take a break and replenish yourself.

2. Call your local senior center to request you be added to the list of seniors who receive check-in calls, or ask about their caregiver support groups on the phone.

3. Go to the Zoo. Many of the zoos, aquariums, and museums are offering virtual tours that are spectacular!  You may also find your favorite musicians or performer performing live or a recorded concert.

4. Find quiet moments. Find a book with inspirational daily readings, meditate or close your eyes and breathe in and out deeply for 10 breaths. Taking moments for self-care may be all you have, but just 30 seconds to two minutes several times a day can help you re-center.

5. Therapy in a new era.  Therapists and support groups are still available to us, just in a different way. My therapist friends remind me they are still available for calls and video sessions.  Mental health and depression are taking hold of many of us, so please reach out if you are feeling overwhelmed.

6. Prepare a Shut-In Bucket List. Some friends and I talked about finding ways to create good from the shutdown, so we decided to list the things we want to accomplish.  Now we provide support to each other through reminders and progress check-ins. Piano and harp lessons are going strong with online lessons and YouTube; so are organizing photos, junk drawers, and piles of things ready for a new owner.  I promise to take my paints out and to learn three songs on the ukulele before all of this is over!

7. Turn off electronics.  Thank God for the Internet during this time, but too much screen time can harm our sleep.

8. Move a bit.  I am sitting too much!  We can still walk, garden, stretch or find a little spot on the floor for some yoga. Play your favorite music or sounds from nature to add to your experience.

9. Laughter is still the best medicine.  Every day at 5:00pm PST you can go to Facebook with Don Friesen for a nightly livestream of local comedians: facebook.com/jasonlovecomedy. Elf, the movie, might be good to watch right now – it’s a family favorite.  Netflix and Rave offer ways to watch a show simultaneously with friends and have a side chat during the show.

Please reach out if you need help or want more information on SHAPE UP or the resources mentioned.  Please connect with About Senior Solutions on Facebook to be a part of things we’re planning, too.

Stay Well!

The About Senior Solutions Team

Mary, Ginny, Marty, Jenny and Cathy