As a caregiver, you might be looking for a distraction from work, whether or not that’s from caregiving full time, or you could be wondering how to occupy all the hours we’re spending at home to stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. With federal guidelines set for social distancing through April and stay at home orders for Washington state, ways to take advantage of free time continue to dwindle.
Here are a few ways to occupy your time without spending much money, or wasting more hours mindlessly scrolling through the internet.
Reading resources
The Internet Archive, a nonprofit that hosts a free online library, is opening the National Emergency Library in response to the schools, libraries and universities that closed temporarily due to the pandemic. The online resource is opening up access to its digital book library until at least June 30th, and also offers a selection of free movies and music.
If you or the person your caring for would rather not read off of a screen, AARP members can get $2 off an Audible subscription, which normally costs $14.95 per month. Families and kids can listen to hundreds of titles for free at stories.audible.com while schools are closed.
Documentary films
The Banff Center for Arts and Creativity is offering up its 2018 and 2019 films for free since their worldwide film festival has been postponed or cancelled in most locations due to concerns over the virus. Watch these and daydream about a time in the (hopefully) not too far off future when you can visit national parks with the family or plan your own adventure.
Flexible recipes
The food in your pantry might not be free, but the act of cooking for yourself is! Many recipe and foodie websites are coming up with meal plans to coincide with the ample time and limited selection of goods available on grocery store shelves.
The website Epicurious has tens of thousands of online recipes not too far out of reach for the average cook. This Flexible Meal Plan involves cans of tuna, beans, fresh produce and pasta. The staple items might already be stocked in your pantry, and if they aren’t, you can substitute out ingredients that are more likely to be available at grocery stores.
Check out Bon Appetit’s list on how to keep food fresh during the recommended long stretches of time between runs to the store.
Yoga classes
YogaWorks has a free two-week trial of the whole gamut of their classes. You can customize everything from the length of the class to the activity level and the teacher.
Podcasts
If you’ve got a smartphone, then you can be entertained for hours while cooking and cleaning or walking around the neighborhood. The Senior Caregiver Podcast covers the ups and downs of the profession and the realities of health for loved ones that are growing old. Samples podcasts include ‘Senior Friendly Design- Customizing your Senior Living Residence’ and ‘Seniors and Nutrition- What You Should Know.’
Get swept away to distant times (if just in your mind) with The Allusionist podcast, which covers everything to do with language. Learn why so many people can’t stand the word “moist,” and where frequently used phrases in the restaurant industry come from.
The episodes are engrossing and number in the dozens, a great combination at the moment.
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