Category: Combatting Loneliness

The holiday season isn’t always joyous. For seniors who live alone with friends and family far away, or those who have recently lost a spouse, the holidays can be a very lonely time. Seniors already have a high risk of becoming socially isolated. During the holidays, seniors may stop going out, stop calling friends and family members, and retreat into feeing lonely or sad. But there are some things you can do to help your senior feel connected, loved, and not alone during the holiday season. Use these tips to make the holiday season less lonely for a senior loved one:

Bring in Companion Care At Home

Companion care at home is a fantastic option for seniors that don’t have family members close by. When seniors have companion care at home they have daily visits from something that they can talk with, go out to eat with, go shopping with, go to movies with, or share meals with at home. Having regular company to chat with and socially connect with can prevent seniors from becoming isolated, lonely, and depressed. Companion care at home is available everywhere so even senior that don’t live in major cities can access it.

Send Care Packages

When was the last time you sent a good old-fashioned care package? Your senior parent or relative would love to receive a holiday care package on a weekly basis. Packages should contain a mixture of handpicked items that your senior loved one might need or just enjoy. Include things like homemade cookies or treats, warm socks and slippers, good books in large print edition so they are easy to read, craft materials, lots of photos, and any other things that you think they would enjoy. You should make it a mission to send out a big care package to your senior parent or loved one once a week during the holiday season.

Stream Holiday Parties

If your senior loved one can’t come to your holiday parties because they live far away, or if they don’t want to attend parties in person because they are worried about getting sick, you can stream your holiday parties. When you stream a party your senior loved ones can enjoy seeing your home decorated for the holidays and chat with friends and family just like they could if they were actually physically at the party. You can send them snacks and treats in a care package so that they can enjoy some great food while they chat with guests on a webcam or phone video chat.

Daily Phone Check-Ins

You can also schedule a routine five minute check in call with your senior parent everyday. Those quick five minute calls are a fantastic way to help seniors stay connected and let them know you are thinking about them. And they get the chance to hear a friendly voice and have someone ask how they are doing and how their day was. You will feel better knowing your senior loved one is ok and they will feel better knowing someone cares enough to check on them daily.

Look Beyond the Holidays for Support from Companion Care at Home

The holidays are just one of the many times that a senior can begin to feel lonely living alone. Companion care at home can be there to offer your senior companionship, mobility assistance, transportation, meal preparation and more. Once the holidays are over, you can feel confident that your senior parent is cared for and has a friendly face to visit with them on a daily basis. Consider the many benefits of companion care at home for your senior today.

Source
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Eden Prairie, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

People need to connect to others. The desire to be social is ingrained and cannot be ignored. If your mom is feeling lonely or isolated, it impacts her health in many ways. Some of those effects can be incredibly detrimental to her physical health. It also affects her mental health.

What Research Finds Regarding Loneliness and Physical Health

Studies find that loneliness impacts physical health in several ways. Lonely people seem to have higher rates of high blood pressure and obesity, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

It’s also been found that isolated and lonely people seem to have a higher risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. The studies are ongoing, but it’s worth making sure your mom isn’t lonely. If there’s even the slightest chance it can lower her risk, it’s worth it.

Another aspect of loneliness and isolation is that you’re not exposed to as many viruses. The immune system weakens and makes your mom’s body have to fight harder if she comes down with a cold or the flu. Socialization can help the immune system work effectively.

The Impact of Loneliness on Mental Health

In addition to the physical effects, her mental health is impacted by loneliness. She may start experiencing anxiety. Anxiety can spiral out of control and increase your mom’s isolation and loneliness.

When anxiety attacks occur, your mom may feel like she’s having a heart attack. Chest pain, difficulty getting a deep breath, and tingling in the extremities are all signs of an anxiety or panic attack. She might feel lightheaded and about to pass out. That may make her retreat and refuse to leave her home for fear of others seeing her that way.

Depression can impact those who are lonely and isolated. If you notice your mom sleeping less or more, becoming disinterested in things she used to love, or withdrawing from family, she could be experiencing depression.

Steps to Take to Help Your Mom

How do you keep your mom from feeling lonely or isolated? Make sure she volunteers as much as possible. Ensure family members and friends visit as often as possible. Beyond that, arrange companion care at home to make sure she’s never alone.

Caregivers stop by to help your mom complete daily activities. While they’re there helping her cook, clean, and do the laundry, they’re also engaging her socially. Call an expert in companion care at home to learn more.

Sources:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-isolation-loneliness-older-people-pose-health-risks

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Plymouth, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Loneliness and social isolation are common issues for aging family members. They can be harder to manage if your elderly family member’s health is declining in other ways, too. Understanding the differences between loneliness and isolation can help you to find possible answers to the problem so that your senior can recover.

Loneliness Defined

Loneliness is a distressed state. It’s the despairing feeling of being alone or of being separated from people that your senior loves. Loneliness can very quickly lead to depression because it’s already a feeling of discomfort that can continue to worsen over time. Your senior can be around other people and still feel lonely. Connecting virtually with people she loves can help, but some people who are suffering from loneliness don’t find that to be enough.

Social Isolation Defined

Social isolation can have some elements of loneliness, but at its heart it’s about not having people with which to interact. Some seniors choose to socially isolate because of hearing and vision changes or other health changes that they feel are embarrassing. The physical distancing of the coronavirus pandemic is another example of a situation that has created social isolation. Some people find that situation to be lonely, while others are only mildly impacted.

There Are Risks to Both

Both social isolation and loneliness can lead to health issues. Your senior’s blood pressure may rise, she may gain weight, and she may be more anxious than usual. In severe cases, your elderly family member might even experience cognitive declines. It’s important to understand how these emotional issues can have very real impacts on your senior’s physical health.

What Can You Do?

Often these physical changes are because your senior is no longer doing things that help her to stay healthy. She may not have the drive to exercise, her sleep may be disrupted, and she may be eating for comfort rather than for nutritive value. If you’re not able to visit with your senior, you may worry that there’s nothing that you can do. Hiring elderly care providers to check in with her can help quite a bit. They can offer companionship and help to ensure that she’s taking care of herself.

It’s not easy to be dealing with loneliness, social isolation, and depression. These are serious concerns and if they don’t get better with the things your senior is able to try on her own, she needs to talk with her doctor about what other options are available.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in St. Louis Park, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.