Free Resident Engagement Resources Under COVID-19 Restrictions

Posted by CC Andrews

Apr 20, 2020 3:08:25 PM

As time marches on, we in long-term care and senior living find ourselves adjusting as best we can to a new (and thankfully temporary) normal. This is definitely true for those working in communities, fighting to keep their residents safe and healthy...and engaged.

Among the most common challenges we’re seeing from communities is how to maintain resident engagement and morale during this time of serious COVID-19 proximity restrictions. We’ve surfed the web a bit and borrowed from others’ lists to bring you this quick group of resources appropriate for our audience. Here’s hoping you find some gems for your residents!

Industry Resources

Museums

  • The Louvre: You don't have to book a ticket to Paris to check out some of the famous pieces in the world's largest art museum. The Louvre has free online tours of three famous exhibits, including Egyptian Antiquities.
  • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: The works of Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Jeff Koons, and Franz Marc are just some of the 625 artists whose work are a part of the Guggenheim's Collection Online.
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Move at your own pace through the 360-degree room-by-room tour of every exhibit in the museum.
  • Van Gogh Museum: You can get up close and personal with the impressionist painter's most famous work thanks to Google Arts & Culture.
  • Getty Museum: Los Angeles's premiere gallery has two virtual tours, including "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry," which is a closer look at food in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
  • The Vatican Museum: The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and Raphael's Room, are just some of the sites you can see on the Vatican's virtual tour.

 

 

 

 

 

Zoos and Aquariums

  • The Cincinnati Zoo: Check in around 3 p.m., because that's the time the Zoo holds a daily Home Safari on its Facebook Live Feed.
  • Atlanta Zoo: The Georgia zoo keeps a "Panda Cam" livestream on its website.
  • Georgia Aquarium: Sea-dwellers like African penguins and Beluga Whales are the stars of this aquarium's live cam.
  • Houston Zoo: There are plenty of different animals you can check in on with this zoo's live cam, but we highly recommend watching the playful elephants.
  • The Shedd Aquarium: This Chicago aquarium shares some pretty adorable behind-the-scenes footage of their residents on Facebook.
  • San Diego Zoo: With what may be the most live cam options, this zoo lets you switch between koalas, polar bears, and tigers in one sitting.
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium: It can be Shark Week every week thanks to live online footage of Monterey Bay's Habitat exhibit.
  • National Aquarium: Walk through tropical waters to the icy tundra in this floor-b
  • y-floor tour of the famous, Baltimore-based aquarium.

 

Theme Parks

 

For a printable PDF of this list, just click here.