#9 COVID19 A Personal Response

Aging with Altitude

Aging with Altitude's host, Cynthia Margiotta, an older adult herself and BSW, shares her observations and insights during the age of COVID19. She describes the chilling neighborhood drive, contemplates physical vs. social distancing, shares how friends with dementia can be supported and finally a multitude of ideas on how to stay busy, engaged and hopeful as we all find ourselves writing a new chapter in our lives.

Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country. We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude whether you’re in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer. Learn more at Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging.

Transcript:

Episode Nine: COVID-19, A Personal Response

SUMMARY

Aging with Altitude’s host, Cynthia Margiotta, an older adult herself and BSW, shares her observations and insights during the age of COVID19.  She describes the chilling neighborhood drive, contemplates physical vs. social distancing, shares how friends with dementia can be supported and finally a multitude of ideas on how to stay busy, engaged and hopeful as we all find ourselves writing a new chapter in our lives.

This is Studio 809, the Pikes Peak regions own podcast hub.

Cynthia Margiotta:

This is Aging with Altitude, welcome to all! Brought to you by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government's Area Agency on Aging. We strive to provide answers, assistance, and advocacy to our elders. Thank you for joining us today.

Our topic today is not so much about the Coronavirus as it is about us in the age of the Coronavirus. I am your host Cynthia Margiotta. I'm a geriatric social worker, and a volunteer with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government's Area Agency on Aging. I am going to be interviewing me.I don't know how that will work. But we'll see.

So our three topics today, actually four, are our drive around, I did a drive around. And then a little bit about physical distancing, as opposed to social distancing. Number three is activities for folks with dementia, and then a whole list of straight up activities. So if you can grab a pen and paper, and then when we get to that you can write down the ones that interest you and you had forgotten about them.

The Drive Around

So first off, the drive around. I went out into Colorado Springs and drove around a bit. What I got to see was very interesting. First off, during rush hour traffic, there was very little driving very few cars out there. I saw a lot of cops giving people tickets because they were speeding too much. But, you know, not a lot of people on the road. Then over at downtown Colorado Springs and Manitou I went over there as well. I saw a few people out, it was mostly the homeless people, and a few people that were actually on their way to or from work in their businesses.

As far as the businesses were concerned, the ones that were open, were mostly the ones that had food that you could take out or drive up, like the Burger King, McDonald's, or the coffee shops. I grabbed some food from them, which was great. And then the restaurants, they had sort of car delivery situations, which helps them to stay alive. I am worried about the other businesses out there who can't do those things.

Then there was the people who were in their businesses that the business was locked, the building they couldn't get into. And so they have to do it remotely. And then there were some folks inside their business. But what I've noticed is they're not having as many people come into the business, they're doing more of that remote work with them, either through the computer, or on the phone, or just talking to them about "let's set this up for later."

Then there's the doctors offices, and they're conducting a lot of their appointments over the phone. They have this almost like zoom thing going on. I talked to one of the doctors the other day. And he's interviewing and talking with people over the phone. And you can see him. So that's kind of cool.

That's just my observations. You might have others. But I thought those of us that are staying home might be interested in hearing about that. So I think that's a good idea.

Physical Distancing, Not Social Distancing

Then, the second thing is talking about some of physical distancing. And there's a difference between physical distancing and socially distancing. We need to stay socially connected to people we love. How can we do that? Physical distancing, you know, there today, they were saying six, seven feet away from each other is important. I get that. I understand that. But the social distancing, we need to find ways to stay connected to people. So some of my list might be helpful, that some of these things you can do with your friends. But I just want to encourage you to think about the things that might work easily. For instance, talking on the phone with friends, using the computer to send out emails or perhaps connect with Skype and zoom. Both of those have free components so that we can use them. Then, you know, with your loved ones, we can't be close to them, so seeing them through the window even might have been helpful, I don't know. But that's important to stay socially connected and then stay physically apart.

I noticed that when I went to some businesses of people I knew some of them had the masks on, they didn't want to see anybody, they didn't want to get close to anybody whereas others open their doors and said, I need a hug. And so we hugged. So there's differences in that.

Activities for Individuals with Dementia

The second thing I want to talk about is activities for dementia and working with dementia. Six out of ten people that have dementia, and this includes Alzheimers, they become wanders. So we need to find ways to keep them busy, keep them happy. What I say to people is just for a minute, you just want them happy for this minute. So finding things to do. So when I get to my list and share it with you, I want you to think about if you have a person with dementia, I want you to think about the possibility of simplifying those activities.

What I mean by that, and I will use my own mom as an example. Let me explain. I grew up in a house with seven people and we would sit down at the dining room table and all seven of us would play Solitaire together. I know that sounds hard, but somebody would put an ace out on the middle of the table. And everybody who had a two with throw their two on there as fast as possible. First one got to put their two on there, got to keep it there. So, it was a little bit crazy. I'll be honest, I don't think I ever won, I'm not fast enough. But when my mom with her dementia came to live with us, she loved playing solitaire. So she would play Solitaire for hours, she loved her Solitaire. But as her dementia, or Alzheimer's, progressed it got harder and harder for her. So after a little while, we had to take away the aces, the kings, the queens, and the jacks because those didn't make sense to her anymore. She didn't understand what they were, they didn't have numbers attached. So we took them away and she played Solitaire with the two through 10. Simple, easy for her. Then, as things progressed some more, it was hard to understand the concept of the reds and the blacks and putting that together. So we took the black cards away. So she had the hearts in the diamonds. And she would play with those. After a while that even got confusing, so we took the diamonds away. Those diamonds were out of the picture. And she had her hearts, two through 10 she played. We call it Solitaire, what it really was is that she would take the little deck of cards, and she would hold them a one card at a time, until she got to the 10. When there were no more cards, she pick it up and start over again. That's what I call simplifying. Don't try and make them remember, don't try and make them do things that are out of their concept anymore. Make it easy, make it fun for them, that's what I think is important. You don't need to be distanced from them. They won't understand that.

COVID Activities List

So then I want to talk about some activities. I have a list here a mile long. A lot of these are things I've had for years and I've shared with older people, and younger people. Some of these are from a program out in Washington State. It's called PEARLS, program encouraging rewarding active lives for seniors. So I want to give a shout out to them as well.

So I wrote them down and I have this list. So you might hear my papers. Oh, I forgot to mention, I am at home. So please excuse me if my dogs start barking. They might just do that. So here's my list. I hope you have paper and pencil to write down the ideas that I come up with that might help you and maybe new ideas. So here we go. Ready?

• listen to music
• buy household gadgets over the internet
• lay out there in the sun on a warm day
• laugh
• think about past travels

• organize those photos from those past trips
• listen to others who are talking to you
• read magazines or newspapers
• pick up those old hobbies you haven't done in ages like stamp collecting or coin collecting or model building
• spend an evening over the internet with friends

• plan a day's activity for down the road when this is over
• meet new people in internet land, like your sister's best friend for instance
• remember some beautiful scenery
• eat something you love
• practice yoga or practice Tai Chi

• ride your stationary bike
• repair things around the house that you've been putting off forever
• work on the car or on the bike
• remembering the words and deeds of loving people
• spend time with the people in the house

• plan out which place and research where do you want to start volunteering when all of this is over
• do you want to get time to have a quiet evening
• go internet antique shopping
• care for your household plants. My plants have never had so much attention in their lives, they're loving it.
• doodle

• share a favorite recipe with someone
• start an avocado tree or any water routing house plant, I've started three and I'm hoping that all three of them take off and I'm going to give two away
• Skype a friend or family member and visit over coffee on the Skype land or over a drink after five
• sing a song loud and happy
• arrange some flowers

• rearrange a room in your house
• practice your religion or practice spirituality
• go on that diet you've been planning to either to gain weight or to lose weight
• acknowledge your good points
• find a bargain for something you were going to buy on the internet

• paint
• do something spontaneous
• work on some textiles
• embroidery, needlepoint, weaving knitting, macrame, I made a two-day macrame a three tier plant hanger the other day, it took me two days to make it but I feel like I accomplished something.
• go to bed early

• take a nap
• drive someone to the grocery store
• sing with a group on the zoom
• play that instrument that you haven't taken out of the closet months
• do some arts and crafts

• make some cards for birthdays

listen to those CDs

• plan a party for when all this is over
• cook
• go for a hike

• remember to physical distance
• write poetry
• write a book
• write stories
• write articles.

• So go out to dinner, well not really out but get some food and bring it in.
• work on a project
• discuss a book that you've read with someone
• do your gardening and beat them to the punch you can plant your little seeds in the house
• let's see... drink coffee and read the newspaper

• kiss somebody in your house
• daydream
• listen to music
• refinish that piece of furniture that's been sitting in the closet for a while
• watch TV. What do they call that now? That's right, "binge watching". There you go, do some binge watching, you know that show from the 60s that you loved. Find it and binge watch it.

• Make a list of tasks you want to do
• ride your bike
• walk around the house
• go to a park and walk around there
• complete a task that's on your list of things to do

• teach something
• call your grandchild or call somebody you love. I talked to my sister the other day, and I was telling her "this is how you macrame". She didn't remember as well as I did, I think.
• Play with your pets or brush your pets.
• Travel, like in your mind. Where do you want to go?
• Read fiction

• enjoy the time alone
• write in your diary
• write in your journal
• clean the house
• read nonfiction

• write letters
• write postcards
• surf the internet
• write some emails
• dance to a wild crazy song that you love.

• meditate
• have lunch with a friend over the internet.
• think about happy moments.
• splurge on something maybe from Amazon or one of them.
• play cards.

• Solve riddles.
• Have a political discussion with somebody. Either someone who agrees with you. Or somebody from the other side might learn something.
• I play guitar.
• Looking at your beautiful photos that have been in that box in the closet for months.
• do crossword puzzles

• if you have a pool table, play that
• dress up or dress down.

I'm in my sweats.

• reflect on how you've improved
• talk on the phone.

• think about spiritual or religious things like candles.
• listen to the radio.
• say I love you to someone
• think about your good qualities
• buy books online or get books from the library online.

It's important to do that.

• cuddle
• tell jokes
• make a contribution to a charitable cause.

• meet someone new on the internet

Like your sister's best friend, maybe.

• think about something good in the future.
• complete a difficult task
• take a long hot shower or a long hot bath

• have a frank and open conversation with somebody
• work at your paid job
• wear some comfortable clothes
• calm or brush your hair.
• solve some personal issues.

You never know. Taking it up.

• watch some wild animals on televsion
• put together a bag of things you never use any more to take the ark or the thrift shop when things open up again then you can give them away
• landscape or do yard work or prep for that.
• listen to the sounds of nature

• open your mail
• watch the weather.

Enjoy the sunrise or enjoy the sunset.

• help someone with grocery shopping for some of your neighbors
• talk about your children or grandchildren

• admiring a beautiful flower or a beautiful plant
• reminisce and talk about old times
• enjoy the peace and quiet
• visit with friends on the other side of the fence, if you know what I mean.
• say your prayers

• do some favors for people
• watch people
• complete a project or maybe a task.
• smile at people
• enjoy the company of the people in your home

• have a drink with people on internet that you know, or a cup of coffee

I like the cup of coffee idea best.

• feel proud of your family or friends
• give a gift on internet, you can order something and have it sent to someone else
• look at the stars or look at the moon.

• read about the different care options for your plants, I've looked that up and I'm doing a little different now. I think it's going to be happier. Right?
• get a manicure from yourself or a pedicure, or give one to somebody in your house.
• try a new recipe
• get involved in a social cause
• bake a favorite treat, I think that's a good one too

Anyway, that's my list of wonderful ideas. If you think of others, more power to you. I'd love to hear about them. I'm always looking for good ideas. I want to thank you all for your time. And please remember physical distancing, not social distancing. Good luck with all of you. Stay well, stay healthy, and do what makes you happy. And I hope you have a great day. And thank you. Thank you very much for spending a little time with me. This is Cynthia. I'm with Pikes Peak Area Council of Government's Area Agency on Aging and I hope you have a wonderful day. Take care, bye.