It’s one of the only certainties in life, that if we are around long enough, our we will age. But it can be tough to see you loved ones go through it. This is because you may not know the best way to look after them as the age. Or the best way to facilitate them looking after themselves. But there are plenty of things you can do to help them out. Just read on to find out what they are.
Mobility
Many things change as we age, one of which is that some people can face a challenge with their mobility. This means it is a lot harder for them to get out and about, or even around in their own homes. This can have a knock-on effective as moving less can make you feel worse. It can also limit the activities that they can do like cleaning, washing or heading out for some recreation.
So what you can do if someone you love is struggling with an age-related mobility issue? Well, the first thing would be encouraging them to go to the doctors. It’s important that a medical professional can identify what the issue is that is causing their movement problems.
Some movement problems like arthritis seem to be synonymous with old age. But there are often medicines, diet, and exercise that can be prescribed that will help to alleviate the problem. It’s also best to be on the safe side and make sure that their lack of mobility isn’t due to something more serious either.
Of course, there are also mobility aids that you can encourage your old loved one to use. There are motorised chairs for zipping about outside of the house. Meaning they can get to the shops or visit friends. Then there are also things like stairlifts. These can help your relative reclaim the top half of their home. Sometimes senior citizens lose this use of this because their mobility issues do not allow them to climb the staircase.
Isolation and loneliness
Another issue for some older people is loneliness and isolation. It is a sad fact that many seniors don’t have a regular friendship group, and don’t see their families as often as they would like. It can be a huge change from being involved in a busy family life, with a house full of kids, to living in you own, away from any relatives.
That is why is essential for you to encourage them to have a social life. You can take a two-pronged approach to this. Firstly you can make sure that you visit regularly, and if they live near to you, have an open door policy.
Secondly, it’s a great idea to get them involved in the community local to where they live. Yes, some folks will buck against being dropped into a community center because they don’t want to ‘hang out with all those old people.’ Don’t let this deter you, though, as there are many other ways that you get them out and about. Consider church groups, volunteering or even a choir.
Leave a Reply