The title of today’s blog is a question that doesn’t have just one answer. But, at Advantage Home Health Solutions, we believe that the many answers fall into one category: love. It’s what we all truly want, isn’t it? But when we’re in our later years, love can sometimes be hard to come by. This is not to say that elderly people aren’t loved. Of course, they are! But the opportunities for us to show them the love they deserve sometimes come few and far between.
At least, this is the case for elderly individuals who have families that live far away. Loneliness, as you’re probably not surprised to hear, is one of the biggest dilemmas faced by the elderly. With their grown children living far distances away and unable to visit on a regular basis, many seniors lose their senses of belonging to their families.
Seniors want time with their families.
In a New York Times article, Judith Graham explains that this is certainly true for her 86 year-old father-in-law, Mel. She points out that each year, for his birthday, she and her husband struggle to decide what to give Mel as a gift. They bounce between electronics and clothing as suggestions, but always end up landing on what Mel wants the most.
“We know very well what Mel would really enjoy: a weeklong visit with us and our children, with lots of time spent eating out in comfortable restaurants where he doesn’t have to strain to follow the conversation,” she reveals, “But that is hard to engineer, since we all live far away.”
Our elderly loved ones want to be active.
The way we see it is that it all comes down to keeping seniors active. Naturally, there isn’t much you can do if you live a far distance from your elderly loved ones. While your visits will always be welcomed, it’s important to consider what the senior citizens in your family are doing when you’re not around. Being around others is a big deal. Having friends that they can regularly converse with will help them to stay sharp mentally and happy emotionally.
“When senior citizens are involved in stimulating activities such as art classes or learning how to play an instrument, they can keep their minds exercised and growing,” reports AgingParentsAuthority.com, “These new skills may become very important to seniors who secretly may fear the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. It is far better to be working and learning to play the piano for example, than to be spending time worrying needlessly.”
Seniors want to be independent.
Who doesn’t cherish his/her independence? It can be especially tough on seniors when they require caregivers to help them with their daily tasks. As well, for those with mobility issues, it’s important to find ways to restore their independence through solutions that allow them to do things on their own.
At Advantage Home Health Solutions, we pride ourselves on the wonderful mobility solutions that we offer, as they’ve helped to restore the independence of many a senior across Canada. For information about our walkers, wheelchairs, rollators and other walking aids, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact Us page!
