I recently visited with a hospice patient who shared with me one of the best ideas I’ve heard yet on how to cope with the COVID19 housebound blues.
He’s a really likeable guy who’s now confined to a wheelchair and has been for a while. To help him deal with his loss of freedom, his family came up with the idea of going on virtual tours together. Here’s how it works. Once a week he tells them about a place he’s always wanted to visit but now can’t. For example, the first trip they took together was motorcycle ride through Australia. His partner researched various Australian foods and made several recipes that looked and smelled like fun. Then he and his partner loaded some YouTube videos of Australian motorcycle rides and watched them together while they ate. The house was filled with the aromas of Down Under and they had a great time. Each week they research a new virtual tour. Once and awhile their daughter and her partner join in as well.
Not only has this helped ease my friend’s loss of autonomy, but its also brought the whole family closer together. I’m sure they’re crafting memories that’ll bring peaceful comfort after my friend has died.
This is such a great idea I’ve talked with Nancy about us doing it as well. While I’m not on hospice, COVID19 has sure cut down on my freedom. My first stop will be New Zealand to watch an All Blacks match! Where would you like to go?