Seniors often experience loneliness when they live by themselves. While it may be challenging to find ways to socialize, connecting with others is critical for a senior’s health and long-term happiness. The La Mesa home care experts at Coast Care Partners offer these tips on helping your aging loved one beat loneliness every day.
1. Get Your Loved One a Furry Friend
Check into the animal shelters in your loved one’s neighborhood to find volunteer opportunities. Many organizations allow volunteers to take pets out for walks or even bring them home for a few hours, which is a great way for seniors who cannot take care of a pet every day to enjoy some time with a furry friend. Your loved one will also have the chance to talk to other people every time he or she visits the shelter to volunteer.
2. Plan a Recurring Event
Having a weekly lunch or outing with a family member or caregiver adds structure to your loved one’s week. Your loved one can also get excited about these events and feel reassured that the loneliness is just temporary, since the special meeting with someone he or she enjoys spending time with is just around the corner. If your loved one is especially vulnerable to loneliness, make these daily meetings to further increase his or her social ties.
3. Make Exercise Social
It’s always great when a senior can fulfill more than one need at once. Help your loved one choose forms of exercise that involve socialization. Talking to other people while walking at the park is one idea. Your loved one can also join group workout classes such as water aerobics or yoga to include socialization in fitness routines. The best part about this tip is that it puts your loved one in touch with other people who prefer healthy living.
4. Encourage Finding a Hobby
A good hobby for seniors is one that can be done with others as well as alone. For instance, your loved one can take a painting class that adds a social element to the week. Then your loved one can use what he or she learned in the group setting to practice at home. Spending time painting takes your loved one’s mind off being alone, and he or she may look forward to showing off the accomplishments made at home when returning to the group. Cooking, sewing, and photography are a few more activities that can provide similar benefits.
5. Set Up Social Media Accounts
Your loved one doesn’t even have to leave the house to socialize. Set your loved one up with an online account for a social media platform used by other people he or she knows. Your parent can video chat, send posts, and look at other people’s pictures anytime he or she feels a need to socialize. Just be careful to teach your loved one how to use privacy settings so he or she stays safe while interacting with others online.
A wonderful way to reduce a senior loved one’s loneliness is to hire a home caregiver. The compassionate professional caregivers from Coast Care Partners provide social and mental stimulation as well as assistance with the tasks of daily life. Our number one priority is keeping seniors safe and comfortable as they enjoy their golden years at home. We are also a leading provider of dementia and Alzheimer’s home care. La Mesa families should call us today at 619-354-2544 to learn more about our high-quality home care services.
