“The
Journal of Primary Prevention” observes how social isolation has been
demonstrated to lead to numerous detrimental health effects in older adults (including
increased risk for all-cause mortality, dementia, enhanced risk for re-hospitalization,
and an amplified number of falls).
Isolation among seniors is
alarmingly common, and will continue to increase in occurrence as the
population grows. Learn how to help your loved ones stay healthy by reading
more on the ways to help seniors avoid loneliness. Here are the important ways to encourage
connectedness and social health:
1.
Make
Transportation Available - Lack of
adequate transportation is a primary cause of a social isolation. Because many
seniors do not drive, this is a big issue for them. Anything that helps seniors
get around and make independent choices about travel promotes their social
health.
Creating a solid community transportation infrastructure and
providing special transportation options to seniors and disabled people will
help promote their public assimilation.
2.
Promote Sense
of Purpose - Seniors with a sense of purpose or hobbies that interest
them are less likely to succumb to the negative effects of social isolation.
Besides providing a sense of purpose, many hobbies and interests are inherently
social in nature. Anything that involves a group like playing bridge could be
said to be socially healthy. If a senior has no ideas for what to do, there are
always planned events at the local senior center.
Volunteering is also great way of maintaining and expressing
a sense of purpose. Encouraging seniors with opportunities to volunteer can
help them becoming feeling alone.
3.
Encourage
Religious Seniors to Maintain Attendance at their Places of Worship - For
seniors who have been regular churchgoers, this weekly social connection has
been shown to be quite beneficial. Those frequently attending religious
services have been found to have lower mortality rates than those with
infrequent attendance. Older church goers benefit from the watchful eye of
other churchgoers, who are likely to recognize a decline in an isolated senior
that may have gone unnoticed otherwise.
4.
Give a Senior
Something to Take Care Of - Many experts
note that the act of animal companionship can relieve feelings of social
isolation. Pet owners remain engaged socially, have less depression, suffer
less loneliness, feel more secure, have more motivation for constructive use of
time and require less medication than non-pet owners.
Animal companionship facilitates establishing friends, is a
social lubricant, provides a reason to get up in the morning, and is an
icebreaker. Even tending a garden can satisfy our nurturing drive, so giving a
senior a plant or gardening supplies as a gift can be beneficial too.
5.
Encourage a
Positive Body Image - Many older adults avoid social
interaction because of a poor body image. Individuals with a poor body image
attributable to being overweight may decrease or cease interactions with their
social networks to the point where they could be at risk for social isolation. Individuals
who are overweight may be self-conscious or embarrassed, and less likely to
engage in their social networks.
Compliments can go a long way to boosting the self-esteem of
seniors. Discouraging seniors from becoming upset over their appearance may
help them avoid becoming self-conscious to the point that they avoid social
interactions. Addressing the root problem of being overweight by encouraging
healthy eating and exercise can be helpful too.
6.
Encourage
Hearing and Vision Tests - Seniors with
undiagnosed or untreated hearing problems may avoid social situations because
of difficulty communicating. A hearing aid may be the only barrier between a
senior and better social health. Vision tests are important too as sight
problems limit opportunities for social interactions with others
7.
Make Adaptive
Technologies Available - Adaptive technologies (ranging from
walkers to the above mentioned hearing aids) help seniors to compensate for age
related deficits and deficiencies that can impede social interaction. Sometimes
they may be embarrassed because they don’t want to appear or feel old. In other
cases, the device may be overly expensive and not covered by insurance. Adaptive
aids may make it possible for seniors to have active and involved social lives.
8.
Notify
Neighbors - Because socially isolated seniors may be vulnerable to a
variety of unexpected problems (like dementia) their loved ones should consider
informing members of the community. Trusted neighbors within a block radius
should be introduced to the senior if feasible, informed about any particular
issues they have, and asked to be observant if anything seems out of the
ordinary.
9.
Encourage
Dining with Others - Food is almost always shared; people
eat together; mealtimes are events individuals comes together. Food is an
occasion for distributing, giving and sharing for the expressing of compassion.
Encourage seniors to share a meal with others whenever possible. It can be with
a church group, the local senior center, or a friendly diner. This act promotes
better nutrition, which is crucial for the elderly.
10.
Address
Incontinence Issues - A senior who experiences
incontinence may be hesitant to leave their home, and could become isolated.
When family caregivers and health professionals make sure that incontinence
issues are appropriately addresses, seniors can have a better opportunity to
recognize their social potentials (and live life without embarrassment and fear
of going into public).
11.
Give a Hug - There’s
nothing like a hug from grandma. Research has shown that friendly platonic touching from friends and
family (like hand holding or hugging) can lower stress and promote feelings of
well-being. People deprived of touch can experience decreased well-being.
12.
Give Extra
Support to Seniors Who Have Recently Lost a Spouse - Older
adults may be at highest risk for becoming socially isolated during the period
after a spouse has passed away. When you’ve shared your life with a companion
for decades, it can be like losing the foundation of your existence when that
person dies.
It’s important to provide extra emotional and social support
to recent widows and widowers while they are grieving. Go the extra mile and
spend more time with the senior in the days and weeks following his or her
loss. It helps to encourage a healthy grieving process rather than a spiral
into prolonged depression and isolation.
13.
Identification
of Socially Isolated Seniors by Public Health Professionals - Often
family members will be the first to notice when social isolation is affecting a
senior’s well-being. Public health professionals should be on the lookout for
signs of social isolation problems in patients so that appropriate
interventions can be arranged. After all, nothing can be done to help socially
isolated seniors if no one recognizes that they are socially isolated.
14.
Help Out a
Caregiver in Your Life - Family caregivers who are helping to
care for an elderly loved one probably don’t consider themselves seniors (and
are probably more concerned about the social well-being of the person they are
caring for than their own social well-being).
But many caregivers are fifty plus and caregiving itself can
actually trigger social isolation. All too often, they don’t call doctors when
they are sick, and they have little or no time to exercise or eat well. If you
are a caregiver, remember to take care yourself. It’s not just the person you
are caring for who’s at risk of social isolation, it is you.
If
you know a caregiver that shoulders the burden of caregiving for an elderly
family member, take whatever steps you can to make that person’s life easier,
and to allow them to have a social life of their own.[i]
“Whether sixty or
sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the
unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of
living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station;
so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from
men and from the infinite, so long are you young.” (Samuel Ullman)
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