Being stuck at home for any reason can be a tedious, disheartening time – but it doesn’t have to be. Plenty is available free of charge online, that is great for getting creative, discovering new knowledge, jogging the memory, or simple boredom-busting.
Of course, the internet is the key to unlocking some of these amazing options. We’ve included some information at the bottom of the page about how to choose a PC or tablet and the help available to set it up. If you know someone who's not online yet, we'll happily send them a printed copy (with their permission, of course).
Travel the world
You might not be able to leave the house at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go for a stroll around Machu Picchu in Peru, or stand in the middle of the Sistine Chapel looking directly up at Michelangelo’s famous ‘Creation of Adam’. Many of the world’s famous tourist sites, museums and galleries have ‘virtual tours’ available, using 360° photography to give a fully immersive experience.
Browse some of the best ones compiled here, including English Heritage’s interactive guide to Stonehenge and a fantastic virtual tour of Angkor Wat. Others include the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza.
The Machu Picchu tour can be found here. Just click the link and follow the onscreen instructions.
A tour of the Sistine Chapel and other Vatican sites can be found here.
For an even more cultured exploration why not visit some of the best museums and art galleries too? Included here are the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, home to some Vermeer and Rembrandt classics, and the Guggenheim in New York, set in the dizzying Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building.
There’s also the British Museum in London, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, home of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.
To tour the museums, just click the arrows to move around step by step and drag the photo left or right to change your viewpoint and face a different way. More options from Google Street View can be found here.
If this still isn’t enough detail for you, Google lets you examine certain masterpieces of the art world in incredible close-up detail, including a Van Gogh, a Monet, and a self-portrait by Frida Kahlo. Just click on the artwork you’d like to look at and scroll down to see more.
Keep fit and healthy
YouTube is a free resource for videos, from anything from self-help to DIY, learning, and entertainment. It’s also an excellent place for keep-fit and exercise motivation.
The National Institute on Aging has a few short video clips of exercises you can do at home, seated or not. They include stretches, simple strength-building, and balance. Just scroll down the page to find the different categories.
For a (slightly) more challenging workout with an instructor, Silver Sneakers offers a great selection of classes for the over 60s. Something to get your blood pumping a little, perhaps?
Both of these channels are from the US, but for something closer to home why not check out Joanna Marcinekova who is developing videos to help with strength, mobility and balance?
Sit back and relax
If you’re a fan of ballet or opera then the Royal Opera House channel might be for you. Not only do you get snippets of past performances and behind the scenes peeks at rehearsals, but in light of the current pandemic they’re also broadcasting whole performances for free at scheduled times, with more to follow:
If theatre is more your flavour then try Past BLC Productions, which has a number of full performances of on-stage classics, including Hamlet and Peter Pan.
Furthermore, every Thursday at 7pm BST, the National Theatre will stream one play on its YouTube channel. It’s completely free to view, and each full-length production is available to re-watch for 7 days. The initiative got under way on Thursday 2 April, with the theatre streaming a recording of One Man Two Guvnors, featuring Gavin and Stacey’s James Corden.
If you have a smartphone, iPad, tablet, or Kindle Fire you can download the BorrowBox app, which allows you to use your local library membership to access thousands of books online for free. From the latest crime thrillers to some literary classics. Just make sure you have your library card handy and a device that can download apps. There are even a few audiobooks available, all free of charge.
BBC iPlayer has made many of its old box sets and series available once again, including Porridge, French and Saunders, and Life on Mars. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to register and have a TV licence.
What if you fancy getting a bit social? There are lots of live ‘pub quizzes’ to be found on YouTube, including many that have started since the self-isolation guidance was introduced. Lets Get Quizzical is popular, as is Virtual Pub Quiz. Usually these live quizzes take place at set times so you can join in as they are taking place, along with hundreds of others. But they are also available to view after they have been broadcast, so you can take the quiz yourself any time, at your own speed.
Still, with all this available, it’s easy to start feeling a little down, or perhaps a little overwhelmed by recurring troublesome thoughts. While technology can’t solve this for you, there are several apps available to download to your device that can help. Headspace and Calm each have a number of free exercises to help ease your mind, relax or meditate. Click on ‘Try for free’ and download.
Finally, if all this technology is baffling but you’d like to know more, check out these detailed guides before buying:
We at V for Life also offer grants to vegetarian and vegans aged over 60 to assist with independent living. These grants have been used very successfully towards the purchase of laptops, such as for Yvette, who was unable to go to the library to use the computer there. Having her own laptop meant that Yvette could look up anything she wanted to from the comfort of her own home, and also write letters much easier than with pen and paper.
If you’d like to apply to the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund for assistance for a new PC, laptop or tablet, please click this link, or call us on 0161 257 0887. All cases are considered on an individual basis and usually only approved if they will be seen to assist independent living and for the benefit of vegetarian or vegan individuals.
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Life After Retirement