Virtual house calls flourish in the age of coronavirus

All across Canada, people are organizing and volunteering en masse to help their neighbors in need. Groups of people and single volunteers alive have been delivering groceries, donating food and money, and running other errands for vulnerable populations.

To help senior citizens through the coronavirus pandemic, teens and young adults are teaching the older people in their communities how to utilize technology. From "using FaceTime, finding reputable news on Facebook, and ordering groceries online," the skills these young volunteers are teaching help bridge the gap between social distancing and isolation.

To better manage the isolation of being quarantined during the coronavirus, people living in the same communities in neighborhoods of Los Angeles are making "quarantine buddies." Although this method of forming small groups to create impromptu families does still impose limitations, it is being called a coping mechanism and alleviates the psychological need for human contact.

Milwaukee's nonprofits serving youth are finding new ways to check in and connect with their students as the coronavirus rules out the possibility for in-person afterschool programming. “Social distancing doesn’t mean social disconnection," the director of a community organization said. "We want to encourage youth to stay in touch with each other and with trusted adults."

Cuyahoga County enlists medical students and residents to help the overwhelmed city health staff tackle the coronavirus chaos. Among other administrative tasks, students interview patients who have tested positive for coronavirus, noting their symptoms and underlying health issues to provide data and patterns to county health officials.

At nursing homes in the Long Island area, facilities and their staff have stepped up to ensure residents can use technology to stay connected. They have facilitated performances over Zoom, local school-children send videos to say hello, and lectures and games have been made available online, as well.

Across the world, communities are beginning to use a variety of different methodologies to better connect with their neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic. From social media to public Google documents, neighborhoods are working together to combat loneliness during social distancing and help make sure the most vulnerable have the necessities.

The Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community near Lebanon, New Hampshire, is one of many senior-assisted living facilities that has rapidly responded to the spread of coronavirus. The staff has set up personal bingo tables that allow residents to sit six feet apart, taught seniors how to call their loved ones while they're quarantined, and engaged in more personalized activities to keep morale high.

People in Bend, Oregon have turned to social media in order to help at-risk community members during the coronavirus pandemic. Utilizing Facebook Groups to connect with one another, the moderators aim to conduct "acts of kindness that are most easily crowdsourced" such as picking up groceries or walking a neighbor's dog.

As governments order lockdowns of cities and countries due to coronavirus concerns, many people are at risk for experiencing mental health issues such as loneliness and anxiety. To combat this, people are turning to telemedicine for counseling consultations and to keep in touch with loved ones, as well as activities such as exercise to improve moods.