Company and engaging activities on your own sofa
The wind is howling and raindrops are battering the windows of your home. Your knee is so irritated that going outside to see other people does not feel like a good idea. Still, you do not want to be alone: talking to someone or engaging in a light physical activity would do you good. What is to be done?
The answer is the remote daytime activities organised by senior services – a fun and useful service where, using a tablet device, you can join activities even if leaving your home is challenging or you would have to travel far to get where the daytime activities are actually held.
“In our remote group, we talk about things, ask how others are doing, keep our bodies active, sharpen our minds with quizzes, listen to music and play games like bingo,” says Kati Suihkonen who instructs rehabilitative daytime activities of home care in Lohja.
In the western parts of Western Uusimaa, the daytime activities have been available for about a year. At the moment, there are already 19 different groups operating in the western parts. In Lohja, the daytime activities were launched in January 2024. The aim is to increase the number of remote groups, which many have praised. In the eastern parts, the first group is set to start in May and new groups will become available in August–September.
Like being visited by friends
Erik Saarinen, 81, who has attended the Pentinkulma daytime activities group in Lohja for years, is very pleased with the remote daytime activities.
“Remote daytime activities are a really neat idea. I get to chat with people I know, do chair workouts and participate in nice activities without always having to go somewhere. The remote group feels like friends are coming to visit,” Erik says.
The device that Erik uses for the group also acts as his watch and calendar. Many people do not know that the same device can also be used to contact friends and family easily and conveniently.
No need to be master of technology
"My career was built on televisions and radios. Even though I have technology in my genes, an easy-to-use remote device is suitable for those who are not familiar with technology.”
Erik encourages other seniors to get involved in remote daytime activities.
“I would like all seniors to shake off their prejudices to see if being in a remote group would be perfect for them. After all, the experiment is not binding; participation in the remote group is completely voluntary,” says Erik who has seen much of the world and now enjoys his days in Lohja.
Anyone interested in testing the remote groups can ask Seniori-Info about participation. For remote home care clients who already have a tablet device, joining a group is especially easy.
