How Can I Help With Loneliness in the Elderly?
Loneliness in the elderly
It is reported that 40% of the elderly over the age of 65, regularly experience loneliness, according to the University of California, San Francisco's (UCSF) study. It seems that loneliness has taken over the lives of many of our senior citizens. Loneliness is an emotional form of being alone or separated from people they have a strong bond or connection with. Studies suggest that loneliness, isolation and living alone can be as threatening to health as cigarettes, excess alcohol and obesity. It is import to note that most of the seniors, 65 and older, are either living alone or have a caregiver. Many times, relatives are to busy with their own life that elderly parents do not have anyone to interact with, and caregivers sometimes have other duties to perform that they may not have as much time set aside to socialize with the elderly. With age brings disadvantages, which cause many elders to isolate themselves from society. Loneliness can also lead to health-related problems, which can be a growing concern for the elderly. Eg: depression /suicide, Alzheimer's, and many more.
Depression in the elderly
Depression seems to be the number one health concern for the elderly, which can impact their wellbeing and lifestyle activities. As the elderly age, their depressive state of mind also increases. Depressive symptoms not only have an important place in gauging the level of emotional well-being but also to determine how healthy and how long the elderly will survive. Studies have shown that a depressive state of mind in the elderly can significantly impact their everyday lives and their ability to perform daily activities. Some elderly, if they continue to show signs of depressive imbalance, may also suffer from cognitive decline. Community-based data indicate that older persons with major depressive disorders are most likely to be at an increased risk of death. As we can see, loneliness could lead to serious health-related consequences. That is a good reason for us to look after our elderly in society and make sure they get help when you see any signs of loneliness.
Connection to the elderly
When we stay connected to the elderly it will ease the tension and allow them to feel a sense of belonging. We don't want our elderly to feel they are no longer useful to society, as this alone can send them in a state of depression. Which can make them feel a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Our elderly have contributed a lot to society, and it is time we give them the respect they deserve. If we all can just give ten minutes of our time every day to check on the elderly, in your own area, we will have a better society and happier community. As we can see depression has a causal link to a number of social, physical and psychological problems.
How we can help the elderly
It is important to note we can teach our elderly to use a computer so they can interact with others on Facetime, Skype, Facebook, our beloved site 7 cups of tea and other sites. We can also encourage them to visit the library and community centres which do have a lot of activities that the elderly can enrol in. They can find a course that interests them to help break the cycle of loneliness. We can organize with social groups in the community or even young people to come over and share some time with the elderly just talking, will make them feel better and alive.
Helping others :
The elderly come with a long life of experiences, we might be able to utilize all their good ideas, knowledge, and wisdom gained throughout their years. When the elderly help others in the community, they will feel important and connected, which will help them feel wanted and less lonely. This will also put a new perspective for them and their life which they can focus on daily.
How can we help the elderly
We can call our parents for a few minutes each day
We can adopt a pet for our elderly, which might help with the isolation
Help them to pick up a hobby
We can have more family time together
Help them to be active in activities they love
Conclusion
We can say that loneliness on the elderly greatly impacts their physical health, cognitive decline, and causes depression/suicidal tendencies.
We can help our elderly by letting them give back to society, so they can feel more empowered. We can also teach them to communicate on the internet to help them feel accepted and keep up with technology. Teach them to navigate through various sites to see which will fit into their lifestyle. Let them join in activities they love so that when they find something they love, it will be easier for them to get up and want to do it. Most of all stay connected to them and see that their health and daily lifestyle is under control.
Questions
What can you do to ensure the elderly are not lonely?
What can you do to help the elderly?
Why is it important to stay connected to the elderly?
Resources for Everyone
National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) works to improve the lives of Americans affected by mental illness.
Halfofus.com can help you begin addressing loneliness or any mental health issue youre struggling with.
VolunteerMarch.org puts volunteers together with causes they care about in their own neighbourhoods.
MeetUp.com is an online tool to help you meet new people face-to-face.
The ASPCA can help you locate the nearest animal shelter and pets who need a home.
The Lonely Hour is a podcast in which people open up about their struggles with loneliness and isolation.
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-deal-with-loneliness>
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184599/>
Survey study https://stonegatesl.com/one-is-the-loneliest-number-combating-senior-isolation/
@HelenTELLall Thank you for starting a discussion on this very important topic.
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Your wings already exist, all you need to do is fly!
@SoulfullyAButterfly
I am glad you appreciated my post on loneliness on the elderly. Thank you for reading my post and sharing it as well💖
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@HelenTELLall no worries, I appreciate all your dedication and work, and am sure others will find it useful.
Your wings already exist, all you need to do is fly!
It is funny sometimes in the way things happen. I moved to a new place and one of my neighbours has a dog she cannot walk (92 years young). I watched for few days and she is essentially housebound. I knocked on the door and was greated by a very assertive small dog! Glories had been there for tow years so I offered to walk her dog every second dsay. We have been on walsks twice so far and when we reurn i get offered a cup of tea - and then spend the next hour or so and we have agreat chat. You have many stories to tell when you are 92! What my experience has shown that just saying hello and walking a dog is one small way we can something
@mija123. You are a wonderful neighbor. Bless you!
@purpleLake3807 Thank you
@mija123
I am so glad to hear you are helping someone who is well deserving of your attention . I am sure she is so happy to sit and chat to you and share some stories down memory lane. Thank you for supporting the elderly😊❤
@mija123 Update. My friedn likes knuckle soup, so I put out a message to the karma network about how to create it - the respoce was amazing - I have many recipes!
@mija123
Not a small thing what you are doing mija123.
Love Helga.
@HelenTELLall I think one thing I have to do is put away my assumptions that I know better because they do not really think so. They know what they want and my pleading with them usually has no affect except to make bad feelings.
I need to support their memory of thing rather than nitpick on the way events happened.
Keeping the discussion fun and supportive is more important than maintaining historical accuracy as we see it.
@soulsings Agree!!
@soulsings. That is hard to learn as our own family members go into senile dementia or early stages of Alzheimer's. Your first instinct is to correct them. Asking "do you remember this or that" or " yes you do know this person" and so on. I learned with my mom that we increase their stress and anxiety by doing that. It intensifies their fear of what the future will be as they get worse. I learned to let errors in memory just roll on by so my mom did not get upset or embarrassed. It was a very hard thing to adjust to, after having a mother who was always 2 steps ahead of me until the mental decline started. It is also so sad to watch. The caregiver is always grieving the loss of that loved one as they pass from one stage to the next. Each change restarts the grieving process. I thought I was cried out after each downward step....then when the next one came I was just as sad and cried just as much. It is a terrible experience for the caregiver but the patient/family member eventually passes the point of recognizing their decline, giving them a blessed relief from there fear and anxiety. It is almost as if their loss of the fear increases your grief. That might not make sense, but that's what it feels like.
http://www.vancouverseniorsadvisory.ca/wp-content/uploads/Vancouver_seniors_isolation_loneliness_recommendations_May2018.pdf
Thank you for a very informative post. I am almost 65, and I have been feeling lonely and somewhat depressed for a couple of months now. Once I get someone to talk to me I cheer up, but my days at work are mostly silent. I have a few friends, but they are often taking vacations in the summer. I am not sure why I feel this way, but I do.
@Offmytrack
Hi Offmytrack.
It is almost one year ago since you wrote here. Now you are 66 years old I assume. I can feel isolated and alone as you do too. I'm in my home 24/7 because of sickness. I too got depressed and have started to take antidepressive tabletts, I hope they can help me.
Love Helga.
@Helgafy I am still 65 for the next couple of months. Things have turned around for me quite a bit, I am happy to say. Best of luck to you.
thought i would pull this up- bring it up to date. Timely considering how many of us are now seniors. Remember the old-timers who cant get out during the pandemic. Isolation is particularly stressful for the older population. Thanks for the reminders of how to help.
@HelenTELLall
3 jul 20
What can you do to ensure the elderly are not lonely?
Check in on them if they live by you. I dont have any elderly living alone by me that I know of. Ive been looking out for some, which sounds silly to me.
You can also volunteer with organizations that care for the elderly. I have been trying to do that. I volunteered with two hospice organizations and they both want references. I dont have any references. I havent worked for years, and I dont have any friends. I have lived a solitary life with ptsd and ocd. I read online that I should just list old references, and hope that if they are called, they are still there, remember me, and give me a good reference. That was too much to me, so I am looking for organizations that dont want references and will hire me as a volunteer based on me by myself today.
What can you do to help the elderly?
I guess the same answers as I gave above.
Why is it important to stay connected to the elderly?
Well, because well be elderly some day and its a case of treating others the way you would like to be treated. The elderly hold the knowledge. It is important to hear them.
@HelenTELLall, I found another link that seems super helpful to me. Maybe it will be helpful to others, too. https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-deal-with-loneliness#selfcare