The Importance Of Companionship For Seniors
Companionship is important for seniors
More and more people are living alone at an older age. This is partly because we live longer, which means that we can retire later than in previous years. However, social engagement may be much harder for some elderly people once they retire.
It’s easier to make friends as you get older and feel more comfortable being around others. You can choose who you want to spend time with. But when you don’t have any other adults to hang out with, it can become difficult to develop relationships.
According to a study done by the Department of Health and Human Services, only 20% of young children see their parents every day. And about 50% report seeing parents twice a week or less.
However, many elders do not experience this level of connection due to health issues, sadness, or other factors.
Therefore, getting back into the habit of spending time with loved ones is important for their well-being. Introducing new people can also help them feel like they have companionship.
If you know someone who lives alone, try to have them join a group or our companion care services as a way to connect and motivate them to keep doing what they love.
Help them feel young
It’s funny how we sometimes view youth as something they have already achieved and as an essential part of their identity. Yet, in many cases, it is simply a state of mind!
What you put into your body has a huge impact on your overall health and well-being.
However, don’t worry – there are things you can do to help improve your mental fitness. Plus, research shows that certain foods can help increase cognitive function leading up to aging.
Thus, in this article, I’ll cover two recipes that work extremely well – one vegetable and one fruit.
Hope you enjoy them!
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Recipe 1: Tumeric Saffron Broccoli
Bullet point: Try this recipe
Paragraph: This is not only delicious but also provides significant antioxidant benefits due to its inclusion of turmeric.
Turmeric is a very useful spice world wide with numerous uses. Not only does it give food a nice yellow colour, it also contributes a rich flavour.
In addition to being tasty, studies show curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) helps reduce inflammation and oxidation associated with cell injury.
Curcumin is what gives curry its name). Along with antioxidants, curcumin is known to help protect cells from damage by inhibiting enzymes involved in oxidative stress and other harmful processes.
It also assists with neuroprotection
Give them something to do
There are many things that older adults can do once they leave their home office. This could be through a community club, or a program like volunteer groups.
Volunteering is a great way to spend time with others, help people, and contribute to your community. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to learn new skills and better yourself.
Many cities offer programs where seniors can join clubs where they can meet other people their age. These can be social events as well as business networking opportunities.
Keeping elders active and involved not only helps them feel needed and important, it also keeps them healthier. A review of several studies found that reducing disability in elderly peoples leads to increased survival rates.
Disability is a major cause of death in the aging population due to lack of activity and health.
Reduce loneliness
Although most people view companionship as something that benefits children, it also holds true for seniors.
Loneliness can be detrimental to health, quality of life, and overall happiness for many adults. For example, research has shown that loneliness is related to decreased self-control, increased risk of dementia, and lower cognitive performance later in life.
In fact, one study found that older persons who were lonely had a higher risk of death within the next year than those who were not lonely. It also costs money; studies have shown that treating depression, for instance, leads to cost savings by reducing hospitalizations.
Therefore, it makes sense to treat–and avoid creating –lonely people in our societies. This means recognizing and addressing their potential causes. These include, but are not limited to: poverty, lack of connection, living alone, feeling useless, having no control over your lives, etc.
The solutions involve both individual and social changes. As a society, we need to make these changes easier and more accessible.
At home, with family, at work, or through community services, there are many ways to help individuals get what they needs from others.
When someone is suffering, helping them feel happier and less burdened usually requires an entire team effort. However, even small gestures (for example, waiting on customers who visit the shop) can lead to a large benefit.
Help keep stress levels down for companionship
Stress is detrimental to your health. If you are constantly stressed, your body will have to use resources (food, medicine, energy) to deal with it which in turn can affect other parts of your life.
Stress has been linked to depression, anxiety, heart disease, cancer and age-related diseases.
Of course, not all forms of stress are created equal. For example, work deadlines or chores may be very stressful but temporary, while threats or disasters are more difficult to cope with.
However, chronic stress due to problems such as debt, relationships, children, etc…
is damaging no matter how hard we try to manage it.
How can we help people handle stress? Social interaction is one way to reduce stress. Having friends and family around us helps lower blood pressure and feels good.
Also, spending time with others adds meaning to our lives and makes them feel more like they are worth saving.
Enables them to continue to contribute to the team
We know that dogs are one of the most popular pets for seniors, so I would like to take a moment to discuss why you should consider getting or keeping a dog.
If you’re thinking about it, you want to make sure they get along with your older loved ones.
Dogs can become a part of your life whether you’re home or not. There are many ways to keep your senior family members happy and engaged while you go about your day-without spending a fortune.
Consider buying a puppy for their first checkup. Many vets offer an introduction to a new patient on its first day.
This takes age into consideration as well; younger patients may adjust better to new animals while still having some time away from humans.
Give your old cat/dog a chance to find a place in your home. Some people prefer the calm they experience around other creatures.
It is also good for your aging parents if you bring them any animal companions that they might like. It could be something as simple as a visit to the local veterinarian or even a pet store trip to buy a small companion animal.
Helps maintain a sense of identity
We’ve discussed before the importance of giving people choices, but this goes even further.
By providing our pets with options, we are also offering them a voice in our life. They can be part of the team – helping us to make decisions, taking control of situations, or simply being joyous at our successes.
We usually choose friends who fit our lives best, but our pets get to join in key moments for the rest of their lifespan.
They experience our victories and defeats, our highs and lows. Our dogs know when we’re happy; our cats take care of us when we’m sick.
This is a choice that many need — and receive!
Physical and mental health
More and more studies show that social connections are critically important to overall health and wellness. This is particularly true of older adults, who are at risk for loneliness and its adverse effects.
For instance, research suggests that lack of connection with others plays a significant part in suicides among elderly people. Also, several studies show that depression is more common in seniors who do not have close relationships, family included.
And even if you’re in good shape, staying socially active is incredibly healthy for you! You can expect to live longer if you remain engaged with other people.
This isn’t very hard when you have friends and a community who care about you. But it can be difficult after years living by yourself, especially if you’ve been married or divorced and haven’t had much chance to meet people.
Therefore, it’s really important to seek out friendship once in your life. It will make you feel better and help _.
Unfortunately, many people don’t take time to learn how to be friendable again. That’s because they view friendships as unnecessary distractions from productivity.
But here’s the thing:
You need to engage with other people to maintain your own happiness. So, letting go of perfectionism enough to allow someone to enjoy your company is a worthy investment.
Cognitive health for Companionship
Studies show that the social interaction offered by family and friends is important to our overall cognitive health. This holds true even in older adults.
Social engagement tends to promote healthy emotional functioning, in turn helping people manage their stress more effectively. It also helps people feel like they are part of something larger than themselves, which can help with feelings of empowerment and confidence.
These emotions play a critical role in how well we think and function mentally. People who are socially engaged tend to do better on mental health tests, suggesting there may be a connection between social involvement and performance on memory and attention assessments.
However, don’t just take our word for it; see for yourself. Next time you find someone talking about their loss in terms of “being alone”, maybe give them a call or put them in contact with your community to find out what services are available.
READ ALSO: https://www.acuteblog.com/2022/06/23/sleep-disorder-and-its-types/