Senior Loneliness: One of the most common concerns for the elderly is feeling lonely.
Loneliness is different than being alone. Your parent may not mind living alone or going places alone. In fact, many people enjoy the independence that comes with doing things on their own. Loneliness is usually caused by a feeling of not being connected with a community, whether it’s a family, the neighborhood, or the community. If your parent has expressed that she sometimes feels lonely, you can help her get connected with those around her to reduce those lonely moments that are a part of her life.
Senior Loneliness: Here are some easy ways for you to help your parent connect with others.
-Start with family
Depending on where your family lives in proximity of your parent, this may look different for each family. If you have family members that live near your aging parent, work together as a team to provide visits and connections that will provide bright spots throughout your parent’s week. If you can create a somewhat regular schedule, then even on the days when no visits are planned and your parent is feeling lonely, she can find relief in knowing that a visit is coming. If your family isn’t able to do physical visits, create opportunities for your parent to connect with them either over the phone or through video conferencing. Just hearing a caring voice or seeing a smiling face over the internet can be a cure for loneliness.
-Reach out to the community
Finding connections in the community may seem hard at first, but with a little conversation with your parent, you might find some natural areas that she can connect with. Something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood, having safely distanced conversations in driveways and on sidewalks can help her meet her neighbors. A home care provider can assist your parent in walking around if she needs a bit of assistance. While many indoor areas that used to provide connection points (such as local cafes or the library) are still closed, as the weather warms, your parent may find outdoor areas to connect with others such as gardens or parks.
If your parent likes to volunteer, this spring may be a chance for her to start volunteering again. She’ll still need to be safe with how she decides to volunteer but opportunities such as cleaning up a park or planting flowers in a local garden might give her a little bit of that community that she’s been missing.
-Sign her up for home visits
Having a home care provider stop by your parent’s home for daily or weekly visits can give her someone to have a meal with or just sit down and catch up on the latest news and gossip. Home care providers are wonderful at relieving those feelings of loneliness with regular visits.
If your parent’s loneliness manifests itself into depression and causes her to start withdrawing from the things she enjoys or exhibit other behaviors of serious depression, a visit to her doctor will be needed to look for other possible resources to help her find contentment and joy again.
For more information about hiring Senior Care in San Diego, CA, call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Today we are the oldest and most experienced private duty agency in San Diego County.She saw a need for quality private duty home health care and she worked diligently to build an agency that filled that need.I am proud to say, her vision is carried on today with our dedicated staff.
I believe our tenure in the community speaks well for us.We have had the opportunity to be of service to countless interesting individuals, including local and worldwide celebrities.It is the people we care for that makes this a fascinating industry.Whether high profile or a more ordinary citizen, we are proud that thousands have entrusted us with their care or the care of their loved ones.Our Mission is to provide high quality, very secure and the most compassionate home health care.We believe that patients heal faster and are happiest when they can stay in their homes.”
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