You may not realize it, but your aging relative may be struggling with social isolation. It’s not uncommon for seniors that can no longer drive and who depend on a single family caregiver or senior care aide to experience a reduction in social interaction. Physical ailments and medical issues can further cause elderly relatives to stay home rather than get out into the community. The bad news is that social isolation has some significantly negative effects on an elderly person’s mental and physical health.If you are wondering whether or not your aging relative is suffering from social isolation, take a closer look at their life using these guidelines.
Living Situation
Is your elderly relative living alone? Many seniors that struggle with social isolation live alone and don’t have family members nearby. They generally aren’t well-known to their neighbors and they often don’t belong to a religious group in their community. Socially isolated seniors also claim not to enjoy events that are typically held at community centers.
Transportation
One of the biggest catalysts for seniors to become socially isolated is that they lose their driving ability or privileges. When they can no longer drive themselves to events, worship services, community centers, the store or to see friends, they automatically miss out on them. If their community has not public transportation or the elderly person doesn’t know how to use it, they are even more cut off.
Animal Companionship
Study after study show that having a cat or dog is good for people of all ages. Not only does it provide physical and mental health benefits, but it gives seniors another being to focus on and care for. Walking a dog promotes exercise and forces elderly owners to get out into their community.
Interests
All too often, physical limitations from age mean that some people can no longer participate in the activities and hobbies that they once enjoyed. If they haven’t been able to keep up on activities or replaced lost hobbies with new interests, it could signal that their emotional and physical needs are not being met.
Health
If an elderly person is experiencing worsening health, both physical and mental, then they may not have the desire or the strength to connect socially. It’s too easy to sit around all day, but the result of that is extreme isolation.
If you’ve taken the time to analyze your elderly relative’s situation and found that they are matching up to this checklist, they may be dealing with social isolation already. As the family caregiver, you need to make the effort to boost their social interactions and provide them with different ways to get involved in the community. There are many things that you can do, such as arranging transportation, hiring an elder care aide for companionship, coordinating event attendance, overseeing regular doctor visits and encouraging family members to visit frequently. With a caring family member to check in on them frequently, elderly adults will have the incentive to stay connected and enjoy socializing.
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3016701/\
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Palm Beach County, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.