As people age and develop chronic health conditions, the quality of life begins to decline. One of the reasons for it is increased social isolation and loneliness. Everyone involved in the care of seniors and older adults must do everything to help improve the quality of life of seniors despite their prevailing health conditions. This is well and truly achievable and done right, has a capacity to lengthen the days of the senior and causes better satisfaction. In this article, we will look at specific ways by which caregivers can help to improve the quality of life of seniors.
Five Ways to Improve the Quality of Life of Seniors
Very small gestures can make all the difference in the lives of people as they age. Caregivers and family members should consider taking the following small steps as ways to improve the quality of life of seniors.
1. Plan activities:
Using an activity calendar, you can plan and schedule activities for seniors. The calendar serves as a guide and helps to keep track of activities that can be done by the senior. These activities should be targeted at both improving physical health and mental health.
Improved physical and mental health has been correlated with an improved quality of life which will in return further improve the state of health. Regular physical activity, exercises, games, arts and crafts etc are all examples of activities that can be done either individually or as a group by the senior.
2. Encourage interaction:
Social isolation is a real problem that can severely impact on the quality of life of seniors. It increases the risk of depression, dementia and generally decreases mental health. Interaction on the other hand will help improve quality of life.
Thus, encouraging interaction is a good way to ensure that the quality of life of seniors is maintained. You can do this by planning family outings, in-house parties, reunions, getting the seniors to volunteer and sometimes even taking the senior to an adult daycare center.
3. Help them feel relevant:
No matter the age, everyone likes being needed and certainly, everyone loves being useful. When you continue to assign tasks to seniors no matter how easy, it makes them feel like they are still sharing the burden with you.
Ensure that the tasks you assign to them can be easily done so that in addition to the elation of being involved, they can enjoy the satisfaction and fulfilment that comes with finishing a task successfully.
4. Consider Adult Day Care:
Adult daycare centers are non-residential facilities where you can take your seniors and older adults when you are not available to take care of them. These centers are usually equipped to provide transitional care, short term rehabilitation, provide education, improve interaction and also provide a fun place. This will invariably help in reducing the risk of loneliness and social isolation for seniors who visit such a center.
5. Maximize Technology:
The internet affords us a unique opportunity to stay local while relating globally. Getting an elderly one a device with internet access, and teaching them how to use it can help seniors stay in touch with their friends and loved ones no matter the distance. These gadgets also come with games that can be played to keep the brain active as well as other functions that can prevent isolation in its entirety.
Conclusion
Living long is good. Certainly, living long and well is better. As you watch over the physical and mental health of your seniors, also do something to ensure that their quality of life does not decline but rather improves even in the presence of contrarian health challenges.