Talofa lava ~  Kia ora ~  Aloha mai e ~ Ia orana ~ Taloha ni Malo ni ~ Fakaalofa lahi atu ~  'Alii ~ Ni sa bula vinaka ~ Kia orana ~ Halo olaketa ~ Mauri ~ Malo e lelei

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Our story is inspired by the very first NZ lockdown March 2020. A tough time for many.
 

Talofa Lava, my name is Lagi Finau. I am one of a large number of pacific island primary caregivers’ and I cared for my dear late elderly mother, Tumua. Mum suffered a stroke which severely impacted her mobility and quality of life over time.
 

During lockdown, entertaining my kids wasn’t the challenge, it was my elderly mother. Mum had always been an active and socially independent person and so to keep her engaged, connected, motivated, loved and not forgotten, I needed to look at solutions for her.
 

On her good days, we set aside quality family time and engaged in activities that would cater to her physical and more importantly her mental wellbeing.Mums’ eyes lit up whenever she knew it was activity time. It was here we created her own Activity bag and kept this in her bedroom.

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The 3 videos below are special moments we captured during the first lockdown March 2020. My children helped me find things around the home. We got quite resourceful. From re-using old board game accessories/toys we created a variation of fun activities.  Mum loved playing bingo. Back in the day, it was called ‘housie’. All my aunties and uncles would attend the community bingo twice a week.

We created a bingo set out of cardboard, found old counters, my son drew up large numbers so nana could see clearly. We pulled out the folding table from the garage and found ping pong balls. We rolled up large socks to play target games. We also played card games, bible games and memory games.
 

All these activities provided many health benefits for mum. Improved social interaction, cognitive function, learning new things and family time.
 

Whether you’re taking care of parents at home or overseeing their care in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you need to make sure they are receiving enough stimulation to keep their bodies moving, brains active and spirits lifted.
 

The 4th video shows mum in a wheelchair. She attended Woburn Enliven Day programme twice a week.   I loved the idea of sit down bowls. What a great way to include those  unsteady  on their feet or little mobility in their legs.
 

Create a positive culture in the home of connecting the mental, spiritual, social and physical. Therefore this is not specific to lockdowns. As much as all families need an emergency kit, it would be amazing for all families to have an Activity bag for all to utilise.
 

Look around our website for more ideas and resources you can do and plan ahead with your loved ones at home.
 

Thank you for visiting.