Being a carer for hubby Tony who has Alzheimer’s I’m always looking for any social occasion/activity to bring me in touch with other carer’s.
I’ve just been looking on the Carers association website & there are some really interesting events including coffee & chat about welfare rights, first aid course, chair based yoga, make your own Christmas decorations and many more.
Sounds good until you see ‘Via Zoom’
OMG I hate via zoom. I just want to be in a room with real people.
Is it too much to ask?
I suppose the age range of participants falls on ,or close to ,the high case rate group of covid sufferers so they deem it necessary to limit transmission
Have you tried your local library Carol? Sometimes they can advise on what is going on in your area such as specific groups and such like. Maybe there is a Forget Me Not Memory Cafe in your area - a social activity, run by the NHS I think, where you and Tony can socialise and there are people on hand to give advice. Also, Age UK may be able to advise. My husband used to go to a day centre once a week run by Age UK which gave him the opportunity for social interaction away from home. They collected him and brought him back home in a mini-bus which he enjoyed too!
I share your dislike (hate even) for Zoom!
@pipsqueak yes I’m thinking of seeing what Age-Uk have to offer for Tony but in this instance it’s myself I’m thinking about.
I would have loved to have got together with fellow carers for a coffee morning or discussion group, an exercise class, craft session etc…
There’s nothing though - it’s all by Zoom.
There’s a Christmas Carol service at the cathedral that’s the real thing. I shall attend that & look forward to meeting fellow carers & sharing tea & mince pies after the service.
Tony has been to a memory cafe & a few other social activities but he doesn’t enjoy them.
He just enjoys walking round the park & going to the pub. (he only has one glass) We try to see he gets his wish at least three times a week…
I hope you find something for yourself Carol - you need to be able to have these things for yourself to enable you to care for Tony. Alzheimer’s affects not only the sufferers but those who care for them too, as I know only too well.
I do occasionally with family in England and interstate but it is not my favourite means of communication. In fact I think I have used it once, perhaps twice, since the pandemic restrictions were lifted. I prefer just a phone call or chatting on Whatsapp, I don’t think seeing someone adds anything to the discussion.
Having said that it does have its place for instruction or demonstration and have used it so show the use of software because you can transmit your desktop but for just socialising? Nah, telephone is just as good and a face to face meeting is even better.
Edit: One advantage of Zoom is that you can record it to view later if it is for instruction rather than socialising.
Use for occasional meeting such as annual chinwag with other flat owners in the rental block I own a unit in.
Mind you, I had a speed awareness course on one a few months ago (oops, silly old me!!). That was pretty good, and it was nicer than having to drive out to a specific centre.
I do. I quite like classes and things, and I’m in a book club. I’m OK at using it but it’s not as good as the real thing
I used it a lot during lockdown because one of our work team was brilliant at organising socials on it
She would do a virtual pub crawl.
We all had to have our 6 drinks and snacks lined up in front of us, so everyone could see on the screen. Then she’d put up a pictures of a famous pubs somewhere in the world we were supposed to be drinking in
The meeting stayed for 15 in each virtual pub and there would be an activity, a quiz, get up and bop to some music, everyone telling a joke, a hand of blackjack, karaoke, charades, lots of things, she was ingenious!
At the end of each pub session, you had to down your drink, then move on to the next!
I guess that the more you use it, the more “natural” it becomes. I don’t use it that often, so it’s still a bit of a gimmick.
I do use an interactive whiteboard with realtime voice connectivity for my online lessons. Don’t really see the need to actually look at each other though. We can write and talk simultaneously. More than plenty for what we need.
I agree Zoom is not ideal. I used it for several writing group meetings and felt very much left out when I could hear them laughing but didn’t know what at.
I think it can be a blessing if it’s used as an addition to face-to-face get-togethers and not as the only way of communicating. Yet sometimes it is the only way to meet at all and then it’s better than not meeting someone on a regular basis and also better than a phone call. I realised that you do not always have to meet face-to- face.
I started with Skype for online applications and video calls for VideoID required by banks and institutions. I also used MS Teams at work. Now I regularly use Zoom with family members and former colleagues, for participating in our meetings of condo owners, and quite frequently for talks and discussions organised by an online forum. I haven’t used it for medical consultations yet but would be open to them as well.
Yes, carers - I slightly different take on this. I have commented on Ozzie’s mum - she was in hospital for a couple of months and has recently come home. She is not good shape and is depressed since she came home. We, and her helpers, have tried to encourage her to start some activities. She doesn’t to know. At least not yet…
We Skype our boy in Aus every Sunday morning for an hour or two, definitely better than a phone call lacking the laugh, grimace, scowl, frown, sneer. Plus, with this form of communication, you can share pics and links and stuff whilst in conversation.
