Evelyn Birkin, 96, from Nottingham, has never let her age stop her from having an active social life. However, when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the UK and lockdown came into effect, Evelyn was no longer able to attend any of her regular activities.
As a nonagenarian (a person who is between 90 and 99 years old) Evelyn would often meet with friends at Age Concern for dinners and she regularly attended her local history club and took part in theatre nights out with the local Memory Café. And her social life didn’t stop there; she is also part of the D.H Lawrence Society and the local friendship group and would frequently spend time socialising with the members of these groups as well.
Although her physical socialising has had to stop, Evelyn has found a new lifeline with technology in order to stay in touch with friends and relatives. As a client of Home Instead Senior Care, Evelyn has had access to a GrandPad, an easy-to-use device with a range of supporting services, allowing older people to easily keep in contact with loved ones.
The device integrates with the friends and family’s smartphones which makes keeping in touch simple. Evelyn’s daughter has uploaded 11 contacts to the device and can spend time checking in with them and chatting, some of which are in Australia.
Evelyn commented, “I did not believe there was such wonderful technology out there for someone my age. My eyesight is the one area that lets me down and the large screen and ability to make print and pictures larger really has opened up a new world for me.”
Natasha Warren, Deputy Care Manager at Home Instead Senior Care Nottingham said, “Evelyn is such an active person socially, and as a home care provider, we have worked hard during this pandemic to ensure that our clients have regular contact with their CAREGivers in order to help prevent loneliness and isolation. It is so wonderful to see someone like Evelyn embracing technology as it has helped her stay in touch with her friends and family.”
For more information about Home Instead Nottingham, please call 0115 922 6116 or visit https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/nottingham