Life at Home (COVID-19)

Information and Resources for Clinicians, Telehealth Resources, and a long list of activities for older adults and family such as virtual musuem tours, chair exercise videos, new learning opportunities and more.

With Telephone Topics, you simply call a toll-free number to listen to a wide range of interesting discussions and programs. Dial into Wellness programs Participate in live, guided chair yoga or meditation sessions to stretch your body or mind. Education programs: Learn about history, healthy habits, architecture, and more—it’s easy to learn something new!
Discussion topics: Share a piece of your mind when you join a lively discussion on sports, movies, and other topics.
Music reviews: Listen and learn about opera, early rock ’n’ roll, and other musical genres that get your toes tapping.
Live performances: Enjoy a live vocal performance or master storytelling session in the comfort of your own chair—with no cover charge!

Call (888) 600.2560 to get started—it’s FREE!

WELL CONNECTED engages and connects people from the comfort of their own homes, online and over the phone. Participants find companionship, information, and intellectual stimulation through a wide array of programs. Generous donations helps make this service possible and helps reach isolated seniors. This award-winning program offers activities, education, support groups, and friendly conversation over the phone or online. Whether you like art or zoology, music or meditation, there is a program for you. Each Well Connected session offers groups and classes on a wide range of topics. And Well Connected meets 365 days a year, so there’s always a chance to connect.

Assistance from a group of Northwestern Medical Students including virtual patient education for nursing homes, clinics, community centers, and hospitals. Fill out the form at the link.

(From form at link below)

Hello! We are a group of medical students from Northwestern University looking to support healthcare workers, patients, and those at-risk for COVID-19 in Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that this environment has created unprecedented stress on families, and we wish to support those who are at increased risk for COVID-19, patients, and healthcare workers. All our volunteers have confirmed that they are a) healthy b) not exhibiting any symptoms such as coughing, fever or shortness of breath and c) not exposed to anyone with these symptoms in the past 14 days.

We are prioritizing healthcare workers and those who are sick, uninsured, undocumented, unhoused, disabled, quarantined without pay, and the elderly. Note, we cannot guarantee response to all requests. Please note that unfortunately we CANNOT PROVIDE CHILD OR PET CARE SERVICES due to current AAMC guidance. Additionally, please do not put PHI into this form. Please share your contact information, and we will be in touch to obtain relevant contact information for your patients. Thank you!

Examples of things we can assist with...

For Healthcare workers and Patients in Isolation:
- Food & Supply Delivery
- Meal Preparation
- Virtual tutoring for kids

For Patients at risk of COVID-19:
- Food & Supply Delivery
- Diaper and Formula Delivery
- Medicine Pickup from Pharmacy + Delivery

For Nursing Homes, Clinics, Community Centers & Hospitals:
- Virtual patient education

Questions or Concerns?
Contact: email

If you live further away in the suburbs, or closer to Downer's Grove, please reach out to Midwestern's group for COVID-19 assistance here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyJgfyrSSoFFio6DOCwsLcbQ44HjBEII7tdqIrx2n0WBSr7Q/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0UGDZeuGWG565qqp9b7qthVneZH4px7KAs9oPswUhnFjjyJ9GRf7gcDjI

Go4Life, an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, is designed to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. Check out these tips for being active without spending any money.

Follow along with this 30 minute Chair Workout routine to get a full body, low impact exercise from the safety of your own home. The video is at the link below and starts after a brief advertisement.

Audio of guided meditations in multiple formats (online, podcast, or an app for your smart phone). Mindfulness meditations can help relieve anxiety and promote healthy behaviors. Also available in Spanish.

Rush generations provides a variety of virtual programming for older adults and caregivers, including workshops to help you better manage your chronic conditions, mini health education lectures, physical activity classes, and support groups.For more information, call for "Rush Generations" at 800-757-0202 or visit Facebook.com/RushGenerations.

The Rush Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement (CHEE) organizes virtual "Wellness Wednesdays." For more information on CHEE visit Facebook.com/CHEEatRush

La Brocha's "Calma y Versatilidad" Coloring Book is a printable .PDF file with bilingual information on staying healthy and calm at home during COVID-19. No matter your age, grab some colored pencils and enjoy filling in drawings by local Chicago artists.

This website offers easy-to-understand guides that walk you through technology like Zoom webinars, tablets, and safely navigating the internet. Be sure to check out the rest of Senior Planet's COVID resources, upcoming events, and more.

This is the hub for free activities, entertainment, spiritual and wellness-minded resources. With an increased need for digital options for engagement and social activity, aging adults, families and senior living teams depend on Virtual Connections as the one-stop option for programming!

The SHARE Network has partnered with The University of Chicago’s Pritzker Medical School for a Social Call program. This program pairs older adults with volunteer medical students for weekly phone conversations. These conversations aim to create a lasting connection across generations to provide support, interaction, and friendship to older adults experiencing social isolation and loneliness. If you know anyone that could benefit from this program, email their name and number to Cierra Shifflet at ccshifflet@uchicago.edu, or call 773-702-9638. All referrals will be kept confidential. 

Do you live alone? Do you feel lonely? Is the social interaction you regularly have not fulfilling?

If so, consider signing up for a weekly social call from a volunteer with Rush Generations.