Social isolation is a real challenge for people of all ages, especially with the increase in lockdowns and “stay home” orders around the country throughout COVID-19.

At Clifton Lifestyle, we always look for the silver linings, so what we’d like to do in this blog is focus on the positives that have come out of this pandemic and look at a few technologies that are helping to make life just a little more bearable during this otherwise very challenging period.

1. Video calling

What was once the subject of sci-fi and fantasy shows (who remembers The Jetsons?!) is now a reality in our daily lives. Thanks to applications such as Zoom, Skype and FaceTime, we are now able to have a face-to-face conversation with our loved ones with the same ease as making a phone call. And while it still doesn’t replace a real-life hug and kiss, it sure makes keeping in touch just a little more satisfying.

2. Telehealth

With patients in lockdown and Healthcare Practitioners trying to minimise physical contact as much as possible, COVID times supercharged the Telehealth industry with “virtual” care normalised and even subsidised by Medicare in Australia. This has made it easier for patients to consult with their Healthcare professionals from home, and reduce the stress caused by travel time and long waiting room times significantly. Whilst there will always be a need for physical check-ups for many medical needs, we salute the advent of virtual medicine as a supplementary layer of care and look forward to it sticking around into the future.

3. Social Media

Social Media is not a new phenomenon, but relying on it to stay in touch with friends and family has certainly increased with more time at home and less time meeting up in person. The Clifton Lifestyle Facebook page has seen an uptick in activity, and anecdotally we are hearing from our community just how much more time they are spending on Facebook in general. We love seeing our community interact by sharing photos, local events and uplifting inspiration from week to week.

4. Other virtual activities

We are fortunate that within our communities, residents have the luxury of access to our myriad facilities such as the Clubhouse, bowling green, croquet lawn and putting green (to name just a few!) but during the pandemic with less travel and restrictions in place, we’ve seen an uptick in the adoption of virtual activities too. Whilst virtual games and activities are not entirely new, the adoption of using these (especially by Seniors) has certainly increased. Playing word games (such as Scrabble or Boggle), card games (such as Bridge or Poker) and a variety of others have been a great addition to the choices we have for keeping ourselves entertained on quieter days.

We certainly wouldn’t wish for this pandemic-era to be extended, but we are thankful for some of the positive new choices it has provided to enhance our daily lives.

Check out an earlier list we made for our top 5 tips to staying healthy at home during COVID-19.