Loneliness: How Can You Help Your Elderly Loved One Prevent Loneliness

Loneliness is something that everyone seems to experience at some point in their life.

If you are spending time with your elderly loved one, you should try to find out if they are lonely. If this is the case, you can help them to start feeling less lonely. You can also learn ways here today to help prevent loneliness for your elderly loved one in the future, too.

Checking In More Often

One of the best ways to prevent loneliness in your elderly loved ones is to check in with them more often. You can recommend that your elderly loved one spends time with other people. However, you aren’t in control of whether that actually happens. You can control how often you spend time with your elderly loved one. It is recommended that family caregivers visit with their elderly loved ones at least once a week. If your loved one has health issues, you should visit them more often. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t just stop to see if your elderly loved one is okay. You should also socialize with them for a while. If you aren’t able to do this for any reason, it would be a great idea to hire senior care providers to help.

Sending Letters, Presents, and Cards

If you can’t make it to see your elderly loved one often, even if you have hired senior care providers, it would be a good idea to let them know you care. There are numerous ways that you can do this. Some of the things that other family caregivers have done is to send letters, presents, and cards. These shouldn’t just be sent on holidays and your loved one’s birthday. You should send them regularly throughout the year. In addition to sending these things, you should schedule online video chats with your elderly loved one. This way, they know you are thinking about them. It will also give your elderly loved one someone to chat with until the next time their senior care provider visits them.

Get Your Elderly Loved One Talking More

Another way to help your elderly loved one prevent loneliness is to get them talking more. Research shows that people are usually less lonely when they can talk about what is going on in their life. You can ask your elderly loved one questions that get them to share what they are thinking and what is going on with their life. For example, you can ask them what they did this weekend? If something happened that was out of the norm, you should ask your loved one how they feel about it? Getting your elderly loved one talking more can make them feel less alone.

Loneliness: Conclusion

These are just some of the ways that you can help your elderly loved one stop feeling lonely and to prevent loneliness in the future, as well. Now that you know about these tips, be sure you start implementing them with your elderly loved one today. Keep in mind that if you aren’t able to visit often, it would be good to have senior care providers visit your loved one regularly.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Glenview, IL, call the caring staff at LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services. Call (888) 606-4199 LifeCare serves all of the Chicago Metro Area.

 

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/

 

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