social isolation

Staying connected

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I have always been a big fan of Shel Silverstein’s poetry and drawings. They were great little quips to add to my tutoring sessions years ago with middle school students and I even used them once on a bulletin board in my high school classroom. My favorite Shel Silverstein book is Where the Sidewalk Ends.

During this time of social isolation and stay at home orders, staying connected is even more important than it was before. Since my three young grandchildren are staying home from school and community activities I decided to pull out some of my favorite books and share a couple of pages with them every day through snail mail. Kids especially love to receive snail mail. They think it’s pretty cool and it is something for them to look forward to.

You remember snail mail. That’s the kind that takes a couple of days to send/receive. It includes an envelope, a stamp and a return address. Oh, and a bit of moisture for closure.

How to Stay Connected Through Snail Mail

We all have old envelopes around. I have boxes of them. Even the kind you used to mail your check for the house payment works. I add pictures and jokes on the back of the envelope to dress it up and make it more fun.

Then find short stories, color pages, scavenger hunts, or poems to put in them. If they are old enough to read, write them a letter telling about some of your old memories of school, etc. I add math problems or words for my grandkids for practice since I am a teacher. Today, I cut one of the poems into four pieces to make it into a simple puzzle.

As long as you don’t put in more than three sheets of paper, one stamp will be enough on the envelope. You may even want to mail some stamps to your grandchildren so they can send you pictures or write a letter back to you. What a fun way to stay connected. Share how you are staying connected below.

“There is a place where the sidewalk ends and before the street begins, and there the grass grows soft and white, and there the sun burns crimson bright, and there the moon-bird rests from his flight to cool in the peppermint wind.”

–Shel Silverstein

“Worry is like a rocking chair…

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it will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere.” The tile of this post is the same as the title of Chapter 8 in the insightful book I am reading. This year, one of my personal growth goals is to work on becoming more content and worry less. I came across the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, ordered it and began reading.

This morning I read Chapter 8 about worry and anxiety. In it Dillow explains, “When we worry, we’re saying, ‘God can’t.'” In these trying times of social isolation and worry about our jobs, our families, and our bank accounts, we could all use a bit of Dillow’s wisdom. She provides an example in her book of a “visual aid” that helped her deal with worry and anxiety:

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Lonely or socially isolated?

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social isolation
DREAMSTIME

Social isolation does not mean mom is lonely: Caregiver SOS

The two terms are not interchangeable, but it is important to find out why senior doesn’t want to leave the house.

By Nira Rittenberg, Special to The Star
March 20, 2017

“Mom lives in a small town north of me. Since dad died, she doesn’t want to go out. Her arthritis is bad. I see her when possible but feel badly that she is alone. She says she is fine?

It is critical to understand the difference between social isolation and loneliness. We hear in the news about how seniors are prone to both these issues. The truth is, the language is not interchangeable.

Loneliness is a subjective state. The person may feel a sense of unhappiness or distress from not having people around enough or not having fulfilling social contact. They may feel they will be rejected or they may have poor self-esteem.

Social isolation occurs when the person does not have enough people to socialize with. People can feel lonely (their own perception) even in a highly social environment. The concept is related to depression, but not all people who are lonely are depressed.

Social isolation is defined as a lack of rewarding social relationships. A 2012 Statistics Canada Report stated that almost 25 per cent of seniors’ wished for more social participation.”

Read about factors which bring about social isolation

Nira Rittenberg is an occupational therapist who specializes in geriatrics and dementia care at Baycrest Health Sciences Centre and in private practice. She is co-author of Dementia A Caregiver’s Guide.