Reconnections during COVID-19
Holly Young, Reconnections Caseworker, shared what the team have been up to over lockdown to help the older community in Guildford & Waverley.
The whole essence of Reconnections is about supporting people to make connections; with new people, with places, trying new things, joining communities. Throw a pandemic in the mix which means people are stuck at home, isolated more than ever before, and this can be a difficult thing to achieve.
The proportion of the population in the Reconnections Guildford and Waverley patch that are aged 65 or over is thought to be around 20%. Many of these people will have experienced loneliness and isolation as a result of the pandemic, and for those who were already feeling that way, the pandemic will only have exacerbated this. We have had to think outside of our box since this pilot began in November 2020 and be creative in the ways in which we support residents to make connections and rediscover their love of life.
One of my favourite parts of the last few months has been matching the people we support with volunteers and seeing their friendships develop despite the COVID restrictions and lockdowns. I definitely under estimated the power of a phone call before I started my role with Reconnections. Many of the people we are supporting are still reluctant to go out, particularly those who have shielded for so long. One resident in particular has been matched with a volunteer, but they have not been able to meet up yet. Their relationship has purely been a virtual one to date, but that hasn’t stopped them! It has been so lovely hearing updates on how they are getting on; swapping recipes, sending each other photos of what they are up to and even the volunteer surprising the resident with some flowers on her birthday.
One of the ways we tried to be creative during the COVID lockdown was with an activity we called New shoots. We put together some bags containing pots, soil and herb seeds and gave them to local residents to plant and watch grow over the weeks. This became a talking point during our weekly calls with residents and even inspired one resident to buy a herb stacker for the garden as a summer project! Something so simple gave residents just a little bit of joy during lockdown.
Another activity we have been able to do throughout lockdown is 1–1 wellbeing walks with residents who have been especially lonely. One resident in particular had no one to go walking with and did not have the confidence to go alone. We went on a couple of socially distanced walks which helped us both get some exercise and fresh air! This resident lives alone so really benefitted from some social interaction. We have also helped residents navigate Zoom for the first time, and then go on to join zoom yoga classes, quizzes etc which for some have become an essential and fully embedded part of their week.
As restrictions begin to ease, we are able to embark on garden visits with the people we support. After getting to know these people over the phone over the course of weeks and months, it has been so brilliant to finally meet face to face (albeit at a distance). We are well equipped with chairs, coats, flasks and microwavable hotties, so even the British weather can’t stop us now!
Reconnections by Independent Age is a volunteer-led service that supports over-65s in rediscovering their love of life in the communities where they live. Reconnections operates in Barking & Dagenham and Havering and Guildford & Waverley.
