Staying Connected is the third prompt in the State Library of Victoria #SLVMemoryBank project.
When the State of Emergency was declared in March requiring residents to Stay at Home and to observe social / physical distancing if they had to leave home for specific purposes, communication with family, friends and neighbours was given additional emphasis.
Communicating regularly with immediate family
No longer able to visit family members it was necessary to use other means of communication to keep in touch. In the twenty-first century we are lucky to have a variety of electronic communication options available for use. One of our sons lives with us but the other two live with their families in neighbouring suburbs.
Although physical visiting was not possible for five weeks we regularly kept
in touch via telephone and computer. Facebook, Messenger and email are
regular communication methods used.
Three of the grandchildren had birthdays in April but it was arranged that the family would all be together for a short time online. It has been interesting to watch the four children aged from three to ten interact via computer. This system also allowed for the whole family to join in singing Happy Birthday although the families were in different locations. I have also been sent lots of images of the children and their activities during the lockdown. Being a cricket family it has been good seeing videos of the children practising their cricket skills.
My ten year old grand-daughter has been allowed to keep in supervised touch with a select number of friends online. They have also been creating dance routines on TikTok.
Staying connected with older family members
Letters are important for keeping in touch with older relatives. My mother is in a nursing home and initially during the lockdown family
visits were cancelled. Family members can now visit if an appointment is
made first. Mum does not use a computer but she does have her own
telephone. Since the lockdown I have been compiling weekly letters
which largely include photos of family activites. Some of her grandchildren have also sent her drawings and messages via post.
On her birthday Mum
received many telephone calls from family as well as cards. The staff at
the home prepared a special cake for her and also sent us photos of Mum
on her birthday.
Checking on family overseas and interstate
We have also tried to contact a number of family members to ensure that
they are OK. My husband used email and Messenger to contact cousins in England and in
Canada and caught up with their news. I have also had phone
conversations with my brother who lives in Western Australia. Facebook, of course, has also been used to catch up with family news and reduce the feeling of isolation.
Distance schooling
Especially with the older students the school provides work on the computer which they submit when complete. They also have short online sessions with their teacher and sometimes online sessions with friends.
During one session my grandson viewed my image on the television as well as on his Ipad.
Working from home
For many families during the lockdown working from home has become normal. Our dining room table is now my son's work space set up with the computer plus a second computer screen. Staff keep in touch with online meetings and phone calls as required. Staff also keep in touch socially with online social sessions occasionally organised between staff members.
 |
| Staff online social session |
Group activities
Computer programs such as FaceTime and Zoom and Skype allow groups of people to interact online at one time. This is proving to be an excellent way for groups of people to stay connected.
Social distancing therefore does not have to mean social isolation. Although the days of COVID -19 lockdown can make the act of staying connected with family, friends and colleagues a challenge, there are usually ways for reducing the social isolation that could result.
See also all posts relating to COVIV-19
No comments:
Post a Comment