Many of us know someone elderly we love or care about and many of us probably know an elderly person who is lonely too. In fact, according to a study at the University of California, loneliness can affect up to 40% of seniors. If this is not heartbreaking enough, the loneliness can also lead to other issues such as depression, anxiety and other serious medical conditions.
As we get older, we can also become a little more unsure on our feet, nervous going out by ourselves and more averse to taking risks. This can naturally lead to a decrease in quality of life, which is why it is important to be there for those who need help and encouragement.
With that in mind, this piece will take a look at how we can help improve seniors’ quality of life.
Get into the Arts
The arts are a brilliant, low-cost universal tool for enriching lives at any age. This can include anything from crafts to music to dance. You can modify almost any art craft to fit the ability, age and preference of the participants, which makes it one of the easiest options to add into someone’s life. Choose from learning a new craft, which can also help with memory development, such as painting or felting, dive into a record collection full of classics and practice listening skills, or attend a dance class once a week, which would also be great for socializing. Whatever they want to try, there will be somewhere that will want to make it happen.
Take up a New Exercise
As we get older, it is more important than ever that we keep fit and keep our body moving. While a daily walk can work wonders for us and is encouraged at any age, there is no need to stop there! Ask them about a new exercise they would like to try or join a club so they can have others to do it with. There are so many benefits to exercise for seniors and it can really help improve the quality of life right into the oldest of ages, by improving their health, mobility and independence.
Consider Assisted Living
As we get older, we might live by ourselves or not have many friends around, which is, unfortunately, a reality for many seniors. If you want them to feel like they are on a permanent holiday with like-minded and abled individuals, then consider a move into assisted living.
Bel Air Assisted Living offers outstanding care for those who need extra help while offering a brilliant standard of living. You might be reading this on behalf of someone you know who might benefit from assisted living, which is an option that can take a great deal of pressure and worry off other family members, knowing your loved one is getting 5-star treatment.
Keep Them Connected
If they are happy at home then keeping them connected to everyone is the next best option.
There are so many devices available now, which can be a bit overwhelming, but buying them a smartphone and explaining how to use the basic features will mean they have the option to contact their loved ones whenever they want or need to, in-between visits of course!
