31 Jan COVID-19 Quarantine Activities from our Team!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a full year of quarantine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Now more than ever, the effects of isolation and feeling cooped up at home are starting to sink in for many. Especially for caregivers and seniors, who have been at higher risk and had to undergo stricter social distancing measures.
We asked our team to share ways they’ve been staying entertained, active, engaged and social throughout quarantine. We hope these activities will help inspire some new ideas for you to try! These activities work for a variety of people, including seniors, caregivers and families.
- Whitnee Ramos: “Finding new shows to binge watch on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Having video hang outs with friends and family over Facetime or Zoom. Writing, reading books, or having themed movie nights with popcorn, hot dogs, the works! Spending a lot of quality time with pets and taking them on walks around the neighborhood. Starting new projects, like a family tree or photo album. Playing guitar, video games, or cooking/baking new recipes.
- Lauren Ramon: “Playing video games, talking with friends and family over video chat, reading books, and playing with my pets.”
- Maria Reyna: “I’ve been bird watching and catching up on some reading.”
- Bernie Lopez: “My favorites are gardening, art (I’ve painted a few rocks), going to trails, reading, working out, spending time at home on weekends, and staying busy to keep my mind occupied instead of racing with worries.”
- Mary Villanueva: “Making jewelry with copper and beads, making a garden, board games, karaoke.”
- Nicole Lopez: “I’ve been able to get back into reading and also yoga – there’s a lot of good free yoga videos on YouTube for beginners. I personally recommend ‘Yoga with Adriene’ as she’s informative and provides instruction for all levels. I’ve also been having a go at Paper Mâché. Lastly, learning a new language (kind of). I have a good couple of years of German under my belt, however I haven’t practiced it in quite a while, so I’ve been re-teaching myself some things that I forgot. For anyone who wants to start a new language, it can be a little hard to learn on your own, but I recommend just submersing yourself in it as much as possible. For example, once you have a good basic grasp on vocabulary, watch some of your favorite movies or re-read some of your favorite books in the language you want to learn that way you have some sort of familiarity already where you don’t have to focus so much on understanding the plot, but you can focus more on the language and the pronunciation of words.”
- Gloria Ahumada: “Writing letters or drawing with our kiddos and delivering them to nursing homes for residents and staff, thanking them for all their hard work. Continue practicing safety procedures with our loved ones, explaining to them the importance of staying home. You can also take advantage of cleaning out the closets, the garage and donate to those in need.”
- Note: En Su Casa Caregivers often hosts a variety of clothing drives. Keep an eye on our social media channels for announcements of new drives!
- Elaine Gonzales: “Cooking is one of the best quality time activities, board games, praise/ worshiping, sewing, and re-arranging home for a new look.”
- San Juanita Gutierrez: (favorite books) Silence, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, Pride & Prejudice, Catch 22, and Five Proofs of the Existence of God.
- Rey Aguirre: “I have been doing some home improvements, walking/jogging around my neighborhood, and enjoying my 50-gallon aquarium. Fish are so peaceful and make time fly.”
- Jennifer O’Brien: “We play the board games Risk and Monopoly regularly. Binge watching old reality shows we love, like Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey. Some home improvement and demolition has helped with physical exertion to take out stress.”
- Connie Watson: “Arts and crafts, painting, gardening and some reading.”
- Vanessa Chagoy: “I’ve been doing a lot of DIY projects, such as painting, flooring, kitchen upgrades, and outdoor space updates. I’ve also started to BBQ. Also tons of cleaning.”
- Veronica Prado: “Right now I’m working on a 1000-piece Aladdin puzzle, working out with some new weights I bought, giving myself and mani/pedi (Amazon has a nice nail kit for $22), and I’ve been riding my bike in the neighborhood.”
- Marylou Espitia: “Watching different series on Netflix or Hulu, learning to cook different recipe’s that my family pick, and playing board games.”
- Rachel Velez: “Playing board games, painting using free YouTube guides, baking, gardening, and bike riding.”
