As the governor of Massachusetts issued the Stay at Home Order, the most vulnerable population, our senior citizens, hunkered down and stayed home. Their hope is to remain safe and healthy by doing so.
Staying home will hopefully keep them healthy, but this might also come with a side-effect of loneliness. Luckily, modern technologies like FaceTime and Skype can keep them connected with their loved ones.
I teach several exercise classes for Seniors and when we were told the Community Center I teach in would be closed, I received permission to teach online via Zoom. When I described to my “Active Agers” (because that is what they are, not just seniors) that it would be like being on the introduction to the Brady Bunch where everyone would be in their own little square, most of them were excited and said, “Count me in!”
Exercise is a huge part of keeping your immune system healthy and my “Active Agers” didn’t want to give up their exercise class. We started Zoom classes the following week and little by little the class size grew as each person became more comfortable with the technology. Did I need to work one-on-one with some people to get them online? Yes, but I am happy to do that.
I have been running my classes online for seven weeks now and everyone is so grateful to be able to see the others in class. I always open the class up 10 minutes early so they can log on and chit chat. At the end of class everyone says goodbye to each other. It is really a great time and helps to alleviate the loneliness of living alone during this pandemic.
Embracing technology benefits all of us at any age.
Holly Kouvo is a personal trainer, functional aging specialist, senior fitness specialist, brain health trainer, writer, and speaker.