Covid-19 has forced local families, funeral directors to rethink final goodbyes

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.

As more individuals are hospitalized and in critical condition from COVID19, religious leaders are finding unique ways to connect. While the norm may be to be at bedsides, in this unprecedented time where that isn’t possible, chaplains, rabbis, and priests are using FaceTime and texting to connect with members of their communities and offer prayer and blessings.

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, many senior citizens have been cut off from access to normal routines and ways of community due to the coronavirus pandemic, but communities and organizations are working to fill the void. In Belgium, robots are being used in retirement homes to combat isolation, while in Germany, employees of a soccer club are shopping for the elderly.

While the media mostly highlights the top-down, government-led measures of containment happening in Wuhan, China, an invisible, sophisticated grassroots network has also had a powerful positive effect on stemming the tide of infection. Using social media and apps like WeChat, neighbors helped each other find food and medicine, support the sick among them, and simply survive.

The Cincinnati Zoo has found a way to connect to their community even after temporarily shutting its doors because of COVID19. Using Facebook Live, the zoo hosts daily videos showcasing different animals and educational programming about them. Their first video reached over 4 million views and has shown to be a way to engage their members, even from afar.

Social connection and support are crucial for people in the Alcoholics Anonymous program, so the social distancing mandated by COVID-19 has been particularly stressful. To try to recreate the same atmosphere and safe space, AA groups are moving their meetings online with Zoom. Participants describe it as a "godsend" and say that it helps fill that void during the crisis-filled time of a pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many in the healthcare industry to rethink how they conduct business, which in some instances has opened the door to telehealth practices. In Louisiana, "emergency public policy changes designed to loosen the regulatory grip on remote counseling," has allowed counseling centers to offer teletherapy to clients but counselors are still navigating how best to attract a clientele and use the technology.

Stay-at-home orders keep us safe against the risk of infection, but for those suffering from domestic abuse they are no safe haven. The city of Philadelphia is working to let people know that services are still available despite the pandemic, although these services have had to adapt to the new circumstances. Some examples include special hotlines and FaceTime calls with judges for hearings. They also have a rotation of judges on call to deal with protection-from-abuse applications. There are also advocates and services outside the court system, like Philadelphia Legal Assistance.

In Colorado, most mental health services have been moved online as a response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Called telemental health, the virtual sessions give those that regularly see a therapist, or need to because of increased anxiety during the pandemic, an option to from home. While this is being seen as a breakthrough in services, barriers like access to technology and the lack of interpersonal connection provides their own set of challenges.