Stay Connected / Stay at Home

Stay Connected / Stay at Home

If you are an existing patient of Signature Health Services, then you are probably used to mostly staying at home. But times are different now, with everyone except essential workers, being ordered to stay at home. Unfortunately, being homebound and this stay at home order can lead to anxiety, isolation, and loneliness, as it restricts others from seeing you, and keeps you at home except for outings.

Rest assured that Signature’s home healthcare visits can help keep you connected and calm your concerns. Signature can be your lifeline to expert home healthcare and companionship. Signature also offers several tips below for elderly, and other, patients to stay connected to others from home and help you cope during these difficult times.

Everyone 65 years and older, or with underlying health conditions like diabetes, or lung, kidney, or heart disease, is at a high risk of complications, hospitalization, requiring intensive care, or death from COVID-19. If you haven’t already, you need to adopt preventive physical distancing and hygiene precautions (like rigorous hand-washing, disinfecting surfaces, and physical distancing ) as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”). Visit CDC.gov for more information about recommended hygiene and best practices.

Remember, notwithstanding the distancing precautions, now is not the time to skimp on your own home healthcare or critical nursing and therapy visits from Signature Health Services. Rest assured and remember that our skilled nurses and therapists are screened twice daily for any signs or symptoms of coronavirus. Please know that our nurses and therapists are strictly following CDC guidelines and taking all precautionary measures to safeguard your health against the novel coronavirus and its transmission. Especially at this crucial time and given your underlying condition or disease, our trained staff needs to be monitoring you closely, while also sharing tips for staying connected.

Your Smartphone or Computer Can Help You Stay Connected Now

Remember, your phone can be your primary way of staying connected to others, and combating boredom, loneliness, and anxiety. If you already know how to download applications (“apps”) to your phone or computer, then you are ahead of the game. If you don’t know, then ask your family, friends, or caretaker for help.

How to Download Apps

All you need to do is go to your Apps icon (the icon with the large “A”), visit the App Store, visit Google Play’ site, or log on to Google to search for relevant apps, including the many helpful apps listed below. Fortunately, there are dozens of apps that can help ensure you stay in touch with loved ones, friends, and even make new friends online, and join new groups of those with similar interests.

Other apps allow you to play games online and stream your favorite movies or TV shows on your smartphone. Please review the list of helpful apps, websites, and suggestions below to help you stay in touch while staying home.

1. Conduct Video Calls with Family, Friends, and Support Groups

Use video conferencing features on your smartphone like FaceTime on iPhones, or download apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Appear.in, for Android phones, to establish free, face and voice contact with doctors, family and friends. These apps allow for two or more people to host or join a video chat or FaceTime chat so that you can talk to and see each other in real time. This can be enormously comforting. You can establish free video connections with family, including grandkids, friends, and you can even meet and make new friends online.

2. Engage in Good Phone Conversations

Even without video conferencing, you can use your phone or computer to keep in regular touch with family and friends. Consider making a list of daily or weekly calls to family and friends to check in on them, and stay close to those you care about. Active listening and bringing comfort to your family and friends can combat feelings of isolation and loneliness. Remember, you can help comfort and support others who are also staying at home by checking in on them.

AARP recommends that you seek out a “buddy” —someone who will check on you, help you stock up on supplies and medicines, and help care for you if you need help. Signature can also help coordinate your care with your buddy, family, or caretaker.

3. Play Your Favorite Games Online

You can download a huge array of games on your phone or computer, including mahjongg, interactive chess and checkers, solitaire, a wide range of word games and crossword puzzles, and several math games and memory tools. Search for each of these online, in the App Store, or visit the Google Play Games site.

4. Call your Religious Leader or Attend Virtual Religious Services

In these challenging times, it is natural to feel afraid, lonely, or overwhelmed. In addition to family and friends, consider talking to, or video conferencing with a therapist, pastor, chaplain, or rabbi for comfort and advice. Remember that Signature also offers social work services with an order from your doctor.

Don’t forget that most churches, synagogues, and mosques are streaming their religious classes and services free online. Search in Google to find the website for your favorite church or place of worship, go to their website, and follow the link to their virtual services.

5. Read a Good Book and Join a Virtual Book Club

Start or keep reading and consider joining a virtual book club, where either online, or in a video conference, members discuss books that you’ve already read or are reading now. Visit or search for BookRiots.com, FabfitfunBookClub.com, or the AndrewLuckBookClub.com

6. Explore Virtual Learning Experiences

Never stop learning, and the easiest way to learn online is as simple as conducting a Google search. Search for whatever topics, events, or people interest you. For example, you may have questions about or interest in political office holders, the current national election, or in the areas of history, politics, the military, music, sports, or want to learn more about historical or current events worldwide.

For those who seek online courses or classes for higher learning, please check out the following websites and free apps. Learn more about business and finances, criminal justice and legal matters, education, fine arts and design, health and medicine, liberal arts and the humanities, history, math, science and engineering, public affairs and social science, and religious studies. Visit the following websites for more information: www.thegreatcourses.com, www.schoolconnection.com, and www.educationconnection.com.

7. Connect the Old-Fashioned Way

Other ways of feeling productive and staying active while at home include the old-fashioned ways of writing letters and greeting cards, and sending text messages and emails (with your photos), and checking in with old classmates, friends, and family.

8. Discover Old Friends, Make New Ones, and Post & Share Updates Online

Use Facebook.com, Instagram.com, and Snapchat.com to find old friends, stay in touch with friends, and establish new connections. You can also use Twitter.com to “follow,” or get the messages of, friends, celebrities, and government and business leaders and comment on or reply to their postings. On Facebook, for example, you can send birthday greetings, read the thoughts of others, post humorous or inspirational messages, and comment on and post your own opinions, concerns, or advice on a range of news and issues.

9. Enjoy Your Favorite Music Online

Download or listen to your favorite music and explore new music online through your phone or computer or on your TV (search for cable music channels). Download and use your iTunes app if you have an iPhone or Apple computer, download the Google Play Music app on your Android phone, or Microsoft Store on a Windows computer to open up a world of and diverse music. If you enjoy opera, you can now watch and hear your favorites on the Metropolitan Opera’s website at www.metopera.com.

10. Enjoy Old or New Hobbies

Other options for warding-off boredom don’t involve technology. Many enjoy adult coloring books, which you can buy on Amazon.com (along with ordering colored pencils). Now is also a great time to pick-up or start a new hobby like gardening, drawing, painting, or playing the piano or another musical instrument. You should also consider learning or doing knitting, needle-pointing, and making crafts or gifts for others.

11. Use YouTube.com to Explore Video Clips of Music, Interest, or Amusement

You can explore and watch a wide range of often humorous and fun video clips on demand, including watching: concerts,  musical video clips, political or business speeches and seminars, TV news from around the globe, and discovering the talents and humorous antics of would-be stars. Just download the YouTube app from the App Store, or on Google Play.

12. Tour Beautiful and Exciting Destinations

You can take virtual tours of many of the finest museums,gardens, and cities in the world, all from the comfort of your bed or couch. For museums you know and love well, or have always wanted to visit, just access the virtual tour option by searching for your preferences. Here are a few museum tours that you may enjoy:

The Louvre @ www.louvre.fr;

The Getty @ www.Getty.edu;

The Chicago Art Institute @ artic.edu;

The National Gallery, London @ www.nationalgallery.org.uk;

The Ufizzi Gallery, Florence @ www.florence.com; and, of course,

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston @ www.mfah.org.

Also, you can do Google searches for virtual tours of exotic cities, historical and artistic sites, and noteworthy monuments.