Online and making connections some ideas

Don’t let social-distancing become an impediment to cultivating important relationships in your life, particularly those with your children and grandchildren. 

ZOOMING in with family 

Sometimes a discussion is all that’s needed to support your whole family and to make you feel more connected. Skype is one of the original video-conferencing apps, and when we think of video conferencing many of us think of Skype. However, technology and society have changed and there are many newer options available for video conferencing. These include Zoom, Facetime, Whatsapp, GoogleDuo, Facebook Messenger, Houseparty and Google Meet. It all comes down to personal preference and many seniors do not like to use the phone for video conferencing, so look for programs that can be used on the laptop, desktop or Tablet.

Reading Bedtime Stories using Video Conferencing 

My grandson lives in a different part of the world and the time differences make it difficult to read a bedtime story to him. But there are alternatives, you could video yourself reading a book and send the video to your grandkids.

Video Messaging Rather Than Texting

Any type of connection between us and our loved ones is important. I have friends who use the phone, or they will text and email. There is another app that is not quite video conferencing but not quite texting, it is called Marco Polo, and is like a video walkie-talkie.

Teaching a Skill

Earlier this month my grandson had a school assignment where he had to learn a new skill from one of his grandparents and he chose my wife. She taught him how to make Shrimp tarts and Butter tarts. We thought of using ZOOM, or Skype but time differences made that impossible. So, we decided to Videotape the lesson and send it to him. We did that by using Google Drive and allowing my daughter access to the file. We could have posted it on YouTube but my wife did not like the idea of a video of her being public.

Playing Games Online

Playing games together is another way for grandchildren and grandparents to share quality time, even remotely. Some appealing games for grandparents include virtual chess and checkers, which can be played on a web page called Tabletopia. You can also play games such as Uno via Facebook or use multiplayer gaming apps like Words with Friends, Scrabble GO, and Yahtzee with Buddies. Other fun online games for long-distance family members include Monopoly, Mario Kart Tour, Skribblo, or even interactive games like Pictionary or Charades. While these long-distance game nights with grandparents and grandchildren may not always go smoothly, laughing and talking together while figuring out logistics is part of the fun.

Exploring a Museum

Ready to experience some culture as a family? Numerous museums across the globe have interactive sections on their websites or offer virtual tours. Pretend you’re in France, visiting the Louvre, or enjoy the wide variety of artifacts exhibited online by the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art or National Museum of Natural History. Whatever subjects strike your fancy, no doubt there is an institution that provides a gateway for a fun, educational online experience that you can share with your grandkid. 

Brain Health and Music

The Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) is an independent collaborative of scientists, health professionals, scholars, and policy experts from around the world who are working in areas of brain health related to human cognition. The GCBH focuses on brain health relating to people’s ability to think and reason as they age, including aspects of memory, perception, and judgment.

In a recent report, the GCBH focused on useful information for men and women age 50-plus, adults in different stages of health, and caregivers as it relates to music. Music’s effects on the brain start in infancy, and much of their discussion applies to people of all ages.

The recommendations are based on the best available evidence to date, coming from observational studies and randomized controlled trials, as well as reviews of the literature published in peer-reviewed journals.

Music is enjoyed by people of all ages around the world. Song and rhythm are a universal language that bridges cultures and dates to ancient times. A vulture-bone flute found inside a cave in Europe is thought to be over 40,000 years old. Greek philosophers mused about the healing effects of music on the body and soul.

You don’t need to be a scientist to know that music can engage us physically and emotionally. The right song might prompt you to tap your toes or snap your fingers. It might inspire you to hum or sing or get up and dance. Music can spark memories from many years in the past – bringing back sights, smells and feelings from when we first heard the song that is now blasting through a wireless speaker.

For many people, music is a great pleasure that brings well-being and happiness. It can encourage a sense of calm and fight depression. It can stimulate social bonding.

These remarkable properties arise from music’s capacity to engage many different areas of the brain in a coordinated fashion in real-time. Science has shown that music stimulates different areas of the brain, which influence how we experience music in our thoughts and feelings. Researchers have also developed evidence that music enables different parts of the brain to operate in sync, bringing further dimensions to the experience.

Health science research suggests that music can enhance a sense of well-being, reduce stress, facilitate interpersonal connections, modulate the cardiovascular system, improve balance, and boost the immune system. And from a risk-benefit perspective, music can help achieve these health benefits without any of the adverse effects that are sometimes associated with drug treatment. So, in addition to providing fun and pleasure, music has the advantage of being a safe and inexpensive health booster.

Intriguingly, research shows that memories of music are durable over years and can often remain intact, even in cases of dementia in advanced Alzheimer’s Disease when other memories are beyond reach.

Music-based treatments are being used in therapy for dementia, where it has been shown to help reduce stress, promote morale, and encourage interpersonal connections. Music-making is also being used in motor therapies for people who experience a stroke, where it has helped people regain speech and control over their lives. .