With older people more at risk of suffering complications from coronavirus, the government has advised that anyone over 70 should stay at home as much as possible.
Many older people are now missing out on their normal social activities and it can be quite isolating and lonely.
Today, for My Quarantine Routine, we’re with Susan Chinchen, 67, and her mum Anne Chinchen, who is 101.
They live together at Audley St Elphin’s Park, a retirement village near Matlock Derbyshire.
Although they have each other for company, they are missing socialising with other people in the park and playing games together.
This is how they spent Monday 6 April.
7.30 am
We usually get up about 7.30am. We’ve kept this the same as before lockdown so we can keep to our routine.
I will get up and make breakfast, mum helps me by laying the table and then we sit down together.
8.30 am
Mum is on washing up duty while I get dressed because I take a bit longer than her. She then gets dressed, does her hair and makeup. She may be 101 but she is still very capable and independent.
9 am
We tick off our daily chores, be it doing the laundry or tidying up the house, we will often find small jobs to do. Plus, mum does tend to place her hearing aid down, and forget where it is, so we can often spend a bit of time looking for that.
10 am
We’ll usually try and find something to do before we turn on the TV in afternoon. We have a good view from the flat, so watch the world go by and see what people are up to in the village. It’s obviously a bit quieter than usual at the moment as people isolate.
We do miss getting out for a coffee in the mornings, or going for a meal, and sitting down and having a chat with the other owners. Something to look forward when we are all allowed out and about again.
I’m in contact with lots of the other property owners at the Park so will check in with them on phone or drop them a message on Facebook in the morning to see how they are doing.
I also look after a newsletter for the village so use any down time preparing the articles or speaking to the owners who are writing for me.
12:30 pm
Lunchtime. We turn the TV on and make lunch together, sit down and eat, then do the washing up. It’s amazing how much time you can fill with mealtimes.
2 pm
Between 2 and 4pm we will usually go out for our one walk a day. Mum does a shorter lap and I will walk past home to drop her off, and then carry on.
A couple of times a week mums’ carer, who works for Audley, will drop by to check she is doing okay and keep her company for a bit. I usually use this time to do some exercise.
The leisure manager has put together some specific stretching exercises for me so I get those done. I’ve tried to get mum involved in these but she doesn’t tend to fancy it.
What I am eternally grateful for is the fact the care team have been able to maintain their visits through this time, and always come with a smile on their face.
It is really good for mum as she can interact with someone else, and I have someone different to talk to as well or can get out for a break.
The Audley care branch manager has been incredible, she has helped us out so many times, and I can’t thank Sam and the team enough.
4 pm
I do some admin. Have a few things to get sorted today like a repeat prescription, pay a couple of bills and put in a food order for delivery. This has been great during isolation because it means we don’t have to get out to the shops.
The village also has the Audley pantry in the main house so we can get essentials, like eggs, pasta, and toilet roll, delivered to the front door if we need it.
Mum watches TV or listens to music in the afternoon, we try and mix it up for a bit of a change.
5 pm
Mum and I play Rummikub – she enjoys it and is pretty good, I have to admit she wins a lot of the time. Maybe by the end of isolation I will have won a few times.
She misses the Tuesday afternoon sessions from before lockdown. She used to play with other owners at the village. The village has been great at getting activities online, but Rummiikub is hard to play virtually. Another thing to look forward to after lockdown is over.
6.30 pm
We have dinner. Again, mum lays the table out and I’ll make the food. Mum was always the cook in the family and she was very good but I do have a few go-to recipes, baked chilli fondue or baked ham and cheese on toast.
7.30 pm
We’ll settle down in front of the TV for a few hours. Mum really enjoys having company so we like to sit down together and watch TV together in the evenings with no distractions.
10 pm
Mum will head off to bed at 10 pm and then I’ll get some time to myself.
I enjoy working on the newsletter so will spend a couple of hours doing this. I’ll also catch up with one of my friends in the village.
We often message in the evenings to chat about our days and it’s nice to have someone else to speak to, even if it’s virtual at the moment.
I normally manage to get into bed by midnight.
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