There’s a lot of “media noise” right now, and it’s hard to figure out the best way to support family members young and old during this challenging time of quarantine. We often hear “when the times get tough, the tough get going”, and that certainly makes Brooks Kenny as tough as they come! Brooks stepped into action with urgency to assist older adults as soon as the outspread of COVID-19 started unfolding. Brooks is a Managing Director at High Lantern Group, the Executive Director of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, a Brain Health Advocate, caregiving expert, and a flawless mother. Check out below what she has done for individuals during this time of need, her self-care tips, and her creative way of navigating this crisis with her family.
Supporting Older Adults
The unfortunate reality of COVID-19 is that certain demographics are more susceptible to the severe symptoms of the virus than others. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 8 out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been in adults 65 years old and older. This makes it so important to support older loved ones by remaining physically distant, but emotionally by their side. For Brooks, “the first thing I did was reach out to my parents. I spent a lot of time talking to them and sharing articles and resources.” But she did not stop there. She reached out to assisted living facilities in her local community in Maryland because she knew how hard it must be for older adults to be in these facilities and not be able to have any visitors. She enlisted members of her community to contribute recordings of songs, videos, and pictures to deliver to older adults who were missing that human interaction.
Brooks’ act is definitely one to be emulated, but the smallest gestures go a long way and the biggest challenge is to not have people feel alone. Using your phone to consistently reach out to older adults, or emailing them helpful and relaxing resources are beneficial. There is a need to fight against isolation and lack of a normal daily routine, so your gift of communication can help solve both of these issues for someone you love.
Quarantine Creativity
It’s important to creatively adapt to our new day-to-day routines. For those who are working from home and have children that are now attending school from home, Brooks suggests making your own Family Activity Jar. Brooks had her family write down creative ways that they could remain connected while at home, put them in a jar, and then they pull from this jar to participate in a family night event such as movie night, a family walk, cooking together, etc. This is a fun and easy way to collaboratively solve the problems that arise from all being stationary at home for such a long period of time. Brooks warns not to force it, though, and creating a Family Activity doesn’t have to happen every day. She also uses a similar jar to address house chores by writing down everything that needs to be accomplished, and then every family member completes a task and puts it back in the jar.
Create your own Family Activity Jar!
Practice Self-Care
The COVID-19 experience has definitely been a challenging one, but it’s always good to recognize the positive actions during situations like these. Brooks said she wasn’t “the best” with self-care as a regular practice, but has recently made great efforts to incorporate it recently. She has started to meditate and is taking that process at her own speed, not getting intimidated by those on social media who have already made it a regular part of their schedule. She stressed the importance of moving your body and has been exercising regularly, including going on walks and being a part of a Facebook group that does online exercise sessions together. Lastly she mentions being kind to herself, “I think we all need to be kind to ourselves. Take some deep breaths and really just try to practice as much self-care and doing the self-care that works for you.”
Brooks left us with the message of the importance of staying connected to others and to ourselves. Even if we can’t connect in person, we have the resources to connect digitally; she suggests the app Marco Polo that allows you to record videos and send them back and forth with your closest friends. So let’s remember to remain close while maintaining physical distance – to each other, to our families, and especially our loved ones during these unprecedented times. Click here to watch this full interview with Brooks Kenny.
