Stay Connected With These Helpful Resources Maintaining Health While Homebound
Due to the growing concerns about COVID-19, getting the resources you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle is more challenging. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) request for social distancing makes it harder to get food and maintain social norms. So, to help maintain your well-being in these uncertain times, here are a few resources that will make getting food and keeping tabs on your family a breeze. FOOD DELIVERY Because COVID-19 is easily transmitted, getting food at a grocery store is riskier. If you don’t prefer mobile apps like Postmates or Instacart, local food kitchens, municipalities, and senior centers may offer food delivery. Using a delivery service limits the number of people you interact with to the delivery person. For an added measure of safety, put a note on delivery instructions requesting they leave the bags at the door. If you have trusted family or friends nearby, reach out to them. They can pick up what you need when they’re already getting groceries, which is especially convenient if you don’t want to deal with mobile apps. Regardless of your method, you should become familiar with getting food delivered because you don’t know how long the situation will last.
SOCIAL MEDIA Utilizing social media is a great way to keep in contact with your loved ones. Facebook is very popular with older people — 1 out of 3 older adults already uses the platform because it’s easy to use. Facebook and other social media platforms can help you stay connected
with friends, family, and groups of people with similar interests to avoid feeling so isolated at home. You can also continue to share photos and videos so you don’t miss a day in your loved ones’ lives. Video chat apps like Skype, Zoom, and Apple FaceTime enable you to have those essential face-to-face conversations when you can’t be with other people. If you’re unfamiliar with the applications, they are easy to download for free on your phone or computer, and they allow you to see and verbally chat if you have a webcam and microphone. (If you use a phone or laptop, this equipment is already built-in.) A video chat app also lets you be a part of important life moments like birthdays and anniversaries if a shelter-in-place order prevents you from celebrating in person. Ensure you’re up to date on the best ways to keep you and your family safe during these uncertain times by visiting CDC.gov for more information.
The Story of Grandpa Mason When cats are orphaned as kittens, they don’t get the chance to develop all the skills needed to become successful cats. Just like human children, kittens need older role models too. The most famous cat role model had a rough start in life but became an inspiration for kittens and humans alike. His name was Grandpa Mason, and during the last years of his life, he stepped up and gave love, care, and guidance to the orphaned kittens that lived with him.
How a Feral Cat Came to Care for Orphaned Kittens
an interview with The Dodo, Roche described him as “an elderly gentleman [who] lived his whole life a certain way, and then, all of a sudden, [was] forced to live completely differently.” After Grandpa Mason grew accustomed to his home, Roche took in several foster kittens, and those new roommates completely altered Grandpa Mason’s behavior. Roche expected him to hiss, swat, or growl at the kittens when they invaded his space, but he didn’t. Instead, he allowed them to crawl all over him and appeared to enjoy it when they licked his ear. Suddenly a playful, affectionate, and gentle personality came out of Grandpa Mason as he played with, bathed, taught, and cared for the orphaned kittens that Roche welcomed into her home. Potentially due to the kittens’ influence, Grandpa Mason surpassed his prognosis by more than two years. During the last few years of his life, Grandpa Mason passed on important lessons and good manners to the kittens he looked after and adored, as a true grandfather should. He passed last September, but he spent his last night in his ultimate happy place: snuggling in his bed surrounded by kittens.
The Canadian animal rescue group TinyKittens rescued Grandpa Mason in 2016 from a property that was scheduled to be bulldozed. The poor feral tabby was suffering from many health problems, including severe dental issues, a badly injured paw, and advanced kidney disease. Since TinyKittens is a no-kill rescue organization, euthanization was out of the question. Given his health conditions, veterinarians predicted the battle- scarred Grandpa Mason didn’t have long to live, so TinyKittens’ founder, Shelly Roche, took him in and provided him with a comfortable place to sleep, plenty of food, and time to relax in the last months of his life. Grandpa Mason had a hard time adjusting to domestic life and would often shy away from being petted. In
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