15 inventive ways people are connecting with their older relatives during the coronavirus pandemic

My grandmother has always been an important figure in my life, and I've cherished getting to spend these past couple of months with her – even if it is inside an RV camper. At least for me, the coronavirus has helped me realize how important the older generations are in our lives and how we take time with them for granted.

According to the Independent, a United Kingdom care home is encouraging people to sign up for their "Adopt a Grandparent" initiative, which aims to combat loneliness among care home residents. Volunteers can conduct video calls with the residents, as well as send letters, poems, and drawings.

As reported by Reuters, 35-year-old school teacher Marzio Toniolo is sharing a house with a family that ranges from his 3-year-old daughter Bianca to his grandfather Gino, who is 87.

Toniolo, his wife, and daughter were staying with his grandparents in San Fiorano ahead of moving into their own home, and Toniolo's father was also visiting when the coronavirus lockdown began.

Peter Fox was afraid when his grandmother tested positive for COVID-19.

"When I brought her to the hospital, I thought I was taking her there to die and never see her again," Fox told Insider. "It was very gut wrenching."

After five days in the hospital, Fox's grandmother's condition improved, and she was able to go home to celebrate Passover, where she and Fox listed 10 things they were grateful for in place of the traditional reading of the 10 plagues.

Some families in lockdown are connecting with loved ones over food and Zoom calls.

One child in Spain needed a little help from his grandparents when it came time to baking cookies, Reuters reported, so he used Facebook's Messenger video-chat on an iPad to call his grandparents. They had step-by-step instructions and watched as the cookies baked in the oven.

Like many people during the pandemic, Daniel Niederegger connected with his relatives over video call during a special event.

He was celebrating his 7th birthday, but due to the pandemic, his grandparents were unable to attend so instead they "visited" virtually, chatting with Daniel and his sister over video.

As reported by Insider, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and his wife Stephanie welcomed their son Prince Charles into the world on May 10, 2020. Charles is the first Luxembourgian royal baby born during the pandemic and met his grandparents, the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, virtually due to social distancing.

As Insider previously reported, a grandfather wasn't going to let the coronavirus stop him from meeting his newborn grandson. When Emma gave birth to her son Faolán, her father showed up outside to see his grandson through the hospital's window.

Bryn Celyn Care Home created a life-sized game of "Hungry Hungry Hippos" for their residents to play. The facility posted a video to Facebook where families of the residents, as well as others, can witness them having a good time.

Shauna Varner envisioned her grandmother, Janis, reading at her April 25 wedding, but due to lockdown orders, Janis was unable to attend.

Instead, on her big day, Shauna visited her grandmother through her first-floor window at her assisted-living facility. The facility's director told Insider that Janis was so excited by the impending visit that she said she didn't know if she would be able to sleep.

Margaret Ford's grandmother was unable to be there in person for her big ceremony because she'd been hospitalized due to leukemia and was immunocompromised, Insider reported.

Through FaceTime, her grandmother was able to watch the ceremony, and afterwards, Margaret and her husband, Rev, showed up at the hospital to show her their wedding attire, albeit it through a hospital window.

Six-year-old Kira Neely (not pictured) was sad because she was unable to visit her grandfather, who lives across the street from her. Kira came up with the idea to do dance-offs with him on their quiet residential street.

"I have no idea how she came up with it, but she knows my dad is always up for anything so I'm sure she thought it would be fun!" Kira's mom, Sherrie Neely, told CafeMom.

Sherrie Neely later said that she had no idea her dad was such a good dancer.

Due to the coronavirus, David Steele was unable to visit his grandmother, Rhoda, at her senior living facility. Instead, Steele brought a balloon and stood outside waving at his grandmother, according to the Associated Press.

Laura Mikolajczak's mother, Nancy, was admitted to a nursing home in Connecticut due to Alzheimer's. Since then, Mikolajczak's father had visited her mother every day, but due to coronavirus restrictions, neither Mikolajczak nor her father were able to visit Nancy, Insider previously reported.

They decided to stand outside her mother's window with a sign and balloons to mark the occasion so Nancy would know they were thinking of her.

As previously reported by Insider, Bob Hayes posted on Twitter that his mother tested positive for the coronavirus and was quarantined in her nursing home. Unable to visit her except through a window, Hayes asked Twitter to send him cat photos that he could print out to cheer her up.

More than 50,000 people responded to his post, sending him both photos and prayers.