Sock Puppets and Caution: How Social Enterprises Care for the Elderly in Lockdown

The United Kingdom’s coronavirus lockdown has prevented social enterprises from visiting the elderly and organizing group sessions, but this has not stopped them from finding new ways to make seniors feel taken care of.

Atlas Respite and Therapy in southern England, who support those suffering from dementia as well as their families, may have closed its activity-filled day center, but the staff still visit the sufferers at home – with extra caution.

“We had three separate hubs that we were in the process of launching, so we had to change quickly and adapt,” says Jonathan Hanbury, founder of Atlas, which has also launched digital therapy offering memory and mental stimulation via tablets. “But rather than seeing this as a challenge, we really see this as an opportunity to learn.”

Another social enterprise, Make It Better, has also made efforts to care for the vulnerable from afar: the Cornwall-based organization has sent out over 90 activity packs to care homes and other groups, filled with materials and ideas such as making sock puppets.