Video chat for my social husband

Hello!

I have no idea if anyone can help with ideas or websites etc but I thought I’d give it a go.
I’m a full time carer to my husband. He has MS, epilepsy, back & hip problems and as his physical health has declined over the years, so has his mental health.
He loves to talk! I actually call him a chronic talker, as he can talk from as soon as he wakes up, until he goes to sleep lol Which is fine, until I need to do the housework, gardening or run errands. It’s like he needs to talk constantly to help his anxiety and depression but me being responsible for everything in the house and a dog, I unfortunately can’t just sit and listen to him talk all day. We’d have no clean plates or laundry! Lol I saw a website called Omegle and told him he could video chat to different people across the world face to face and that seemed perfect for him, for when I have to do things but it turns out, it’s actually quite inappropriate :grimacing: We looked in to chat sites but they cost a lot of money and also seem very inappropriate. :grimacing:
He was having sessions with someone through talking therapies, put forward by his GP but that’s ended now.
Does anyone know of anything else like Omegle that he could talk to someone with but is actually safe?
His whole life he was apart of groups, scouts, acting societies, dancing schools but now he can only hobble about on a stick and has to use a power wheelchair for long distance, he feels like he can’t really do anything like that now, so he’s gone from being surrounded by people, to just having me, which he says he loves but he likes being more social.
I’ve tried to convince him to join local groups but he won’t. :neutral_face: He’s estranged from his family and neither of us have friends. :grimacing:

@AmethystWitch
Some random ideas - not sure if this helps but all searchable online

  • online courses have zoom calls and if he’s learning something there are specific topics e.g. https://www.futurelearn.com/
  • local schools and community centre organise online support groups, it’s worth asking your local branch of ageuk, GP practice, but of course it depends on whether your husband wishes to connect related to his health condition or something completely different
  • He could help others - befriending services for others who are lonely e.g. via Age UK or other local services
  • if you think it could help his mental health: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/side-by-side-our-online-community/

Given he was so active with those different groups perhaps he could volunteer with a local group or charity?!?

Something different - explore ‘Substack’ subscribe to online publications/newsletters or even create his own publication Substack - A new economic engine for culture

I hope one of these ideas helps. Merry Christmas!

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Thankyou so much! I’m going to look into all of these :smiling_face:

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@AmethystWitch You’re very welcome.
Just a thought - there are so many diverse ‘meet ups’, perhaps you could discuss with your husband about what he’d like to focus on - e.g. something social, or explore something to learn, or talk with others about his health condition

Perhaps a course on mindfulness can help his anxiety AND connect him with others e.g. Level 1 - Mindfulness - Mindfulness Association
(I’ve not done this one - the one I did at Future learn has been discontinued and the ones there are more work/healthworker oriented now)

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