No matter how old someone is, they need a sense of purpose to keep them going. A senior citizen may be retired and no longer have children left to raise, and not feeling like they have a purpose may harm their mental health. If you’re caring for a loved one, try to understand how they may feel and come up with a plan for helping these years be some of their best.
Encourage Physical Activity
Seniors may have a certain routine they follow each day because it’s what gives them comfort. This may or may not include physical activity. Depending on their physical limitations, you may want to encourage incorporating exercise into their daily ritual. Some ideas include chair yoga, resistance bands, water aerobics, and body weight exercises.
Walking is another form of exercise that can benefit them in numerous ways. It allows them to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air. Walking can also help reduce pain, lower blood sugar, improve heart health, and improve mental health. Before encouraging physical activity, it’s a good idea to make sure they have the green light from their doctor first.
Keep Them Involved
Some seniors end up spending their elderly years feeling lonely and left out. Keeping them involved can help increase their sense of purpose while keeping them busy. Visit them often, but if you can’t do that, then try to pick up the phone and give them a call. Include them in what’s going on with their life so they don’t miss anything. If you’re expecting a baby, consider letting them be involved in your pregnancy and use a Chinese calendar baby gender 2022 to get a sneak peek at what gender the baby may be.
Find Good In-Home Care
There may be a time when it’s getting harder for them to live on their own and you may have to consider finding in-home care for them. Many seniors like their independence and the freedom to live their life the way they want to. If they still can live on their own, home health care can give them their freedom while offering the right amount of help. This will allow them to stay in the home that they feel the most comfortable in.
Before looking into this type of care, it’s good to gauge what level of care they’d need such as determining if they need help bathing, if someone should do the grocery shopping and meal preparation for them, if they have a hard time remembering to take their medications, and if they need help with household chores.
Provide Mental Stimulation
The same daily routine can be boring, and it’s good to add some mental stimulation to their day. Help your loved ones find their passion and encourage them to pick up a couple of hobbies to keep their days full. Good mental stimulation will help keep their cognitive skills sharp. Some activities can include arts and crafts, jigsaw puzzles, board games, Sudoku, gardening, reading, and spending time outdoors.
If they try an activity and don’t care for it, don’t force it. You can keep encouraging them to try different things so they can find what they like doing.
Encourage Social Interaction
Social interaction is crucial at any age, but it can improve the quality of life for a senior citizen. Certain factors may make it difficult for your elderly loved one to interact socially as much as they might have done in the past such as lack of transport options or physical limitations. Social isolation is a problem some elderly face, and it’s something that can be avoided. Visiting and communicating often is the key. If you’re not able to visit them, finding someone in their area to check on them and spend time with them can make all the difference in the world to them.