This is our turn to keep the elderly engaged, entertained

Just because the body has aged and become frail, it does not mean the mind has. I’m reminded of this every time I speak to my Granny Eve (96-years-old) and my dear friend Dr Peter Emerson (95). Their sharp wit, intelligence, wisdom, and views on life are as vibrant and opinionated as they’ve always been!

Talking to Peter and watching 99-year-old Captain Tom raising over £17 million (at the time I’m writing this) for NHS charities in the UK, got me thinking about all the wonderful ways to keep our elders (and betters!) stimulated during lockdown. Here’s just a few ideas:

1. Phone trees: Some elderly parishioners setting up phone trees. They call each other every day and share stories, quizzes, and generally just keep each other company. It’s a lovely idea to build back independence and the shared experiences of lives well lived!

2. Help them find purpose: I seem to find that popping to the shop or supermarket in the morning marks a positive start of the day for many elderly people. Now with lockdowns in place that sense of purpose has been taken away so it may be worth suggesting some great alternatives. Here are some tips: •

Gardening (if possible) as it’s been found to have a really positive impact on mental health. It can be as simple as a small herb box on a windowsill. •

Writing a book or a short story. Maybe now is the time to write that memoir they’ve always talked about? My Granny Eve has written a great one! •

Volunteering from the comfort of their own homes — there are service providers who are desperate for caring volunteers with a phone connection.

3. Help them become active online: There are online courses out there at the moment offering lessons completely free of charge. All of them will help keep the brain active and stimulated. This includes: Art therapy,

cookery, daily quizzes, sudoku and other brain games.

4. Remote gaming: I Ioved the recent stories about a young boy playing chess remotely with his Grandad via Facetime — just wonderful. Why not set aisde an hour once or twice a week for a ‘game night’.

5. Keep active: There are wonderful free resources online that are doing ‘gym classes’ for those past their gym-bunny prime! If an online workout isn’t possible, why not draw-up a fun little exercise plan and share?

These are just a few positive ways to keep those minds agile while in isolation! We all miss our relatives and loves ones, but making sure they know just how much you miss them is the best thing we can do for each other right now. — Holly Branson is part of the leadership team at Virgin Group —Virgin blog

Making sure our loved ones know just how much you miss them is the best thing we can do for each other right now.