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Hints, Tips & Advice
Loneliness in Seniors
Loneliness is something we all experience. For instance, we may find that we don’t have as much in common with our partner after our kids have grown-up and left the house. Or we may have retired and miss the social interaction we once had with our co-workers. Loneliness seems to be a part of life; however, it doesn't need to take over our lives and negatively impact our physical and psychological health.
A recent study completed at The University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) related loneliness to increased risk of physical illness and mortality. The study incorporated 1,600 senior participants over a six-year period. The results determined that if the participants were lonely there were increased health incidents and death.
“About 43 percent of the adults reported feeling lonely at least some of the time. Of those seniors, 23 percent died over the six-year study, compared to 14 percent of the participants who weren't lonely – a 45 percent increase. The lonely seniors had a 59 percent greater risk of suffering a decline in function, which was defined as being less mobile or less able to take care of daily activities like bathing.” (Erin Aliday, June 19, 2012, Loneliness lethal for seniors, UCSF study says).
Dr. Marci Teresi, medical director of the memory clinic at Kaiser Santa Clara said, “They (seniors) start focusing on things that they can’t do, and they focus on pain. That just perpetuates their decline . . . I’ve had people tell me they feel like they’re sort of done with life.” This can leave people open to experiencing pain and physical discomforts that they might not normally have considered in their everyday lives.
Part of the issue is that we routinely discard our seniors. These folks work hard all their lives, feeling productive, making good friends, and having set schedules that require them to be at work or at their kid’s band concert. Then they retire. Gone are the schedules, the friends from work, the personal rewards from an active life. Isolation begins to set in and we can see the pattern change from an active, vibrant, productive person to one who sits around during the day, watching more TV, refusing social invitations (when they do come around), and feeling physically less capable because they are suddenly “old.” It’s a short leap to experiencing more illness and physical problems, not to mention the psychological issues related to isolationism.
Yet, getting older doesn't need to mean a life of loneliness. There are numerous ways to stay active and feel alive. For example:
Reach out to old friends and make new ones. In today’s highly evolved techno world, staying in touch is easier than ever. (I have a friend who recently had her 88 year old uncle from Virginia reach out and ask her to Skype with him. Now they have their monthly 15 minute Skype session. Ends up they both are having a ball with it!)
Volunteer more. On a personal note, I can tell you that as I was winding down from my responsibilities at Visiting Angels, I was concerned that I would lose my focus in life. I feared not being connected to anything significant and potentially becoming despondent. Well, I had my sailing, but I wanted/needed more than that so I once again began to volunteer. Now I spend 10-20 hours a week volunteering with developmentally challenged adults (where I began my social work career) and act as a mentor to a young man through a program at Yale. I’m busier now than I was at work!
Go back to school. Many seniors are going back to school to either get that degree they never were able to achieve due to work or family responsibilities or learn about things they always wanted to know more about. Classes in computers, bird watching, astronomy, and cooking, for example, are all on the rise and being filled with seniors looking to just learn.
Work with pets. Recently I was at a farmer’s market in Vermont and ran across a women walking a beautiful Golden Retriever. We began to chat and I learned she was retired and started to take her love of dogs to a different level by having her dogs trained to help the elderly. Her dogs now have been placed in many seniors’ homes where they act as watch dogs, help to turn on and off the lights, and even answer the door. Amazing!
Join an exercise group. Many, many seniors have moved to joining exercise groups; such as swimming, jazzercise, dance lessons, and walking groups. This is a great way to stave off physical maladies and make social contacts.
Getting old doesn't mean your life has ended. Yes, you may need to slow down a bit, you may need to pay more attention to both your physical and psychological needs, and you may even need to learn how to take some social risks. But life doesn't end when you retire! And, you don’t need to be lonely as you age.
Each Visiting Angels agency is a franchise that is independently owned and operated. The Franchisor, Living Assistance Services Inc., does not control or manage the day to day business operations of any Visiting Angels franchised agency.
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More Hints, Tips & Advice
How to Work with a Parent's Caregiver
The True Impact of Elder Care on Family Caregivers
Safe Patient Handling
The Benefits of Homecare Assistance for Housebound Seniors
The Myth of the “One Size Fits All” Homecare Agency
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Why Seniors Prefer Living Assistance to Assisted Living
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From a Caregiver’s Eyes: Common Senior Ailments That Make Caregiving Harder
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Transitional Care 101 - Keeping Your Senior Loved One Out of the Hospital
Why Visiting Angels Takes a Holistic Approach to Palliative Care Services
Harvard Study: More Employers Need to Support Senior Caregivers
3 Things to Look for in Experienced Senior Home Care
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I Was Worried about My Mom After the Holidays. Here’s How Home Care Could Help.
How Respite Care Can Help Ease the Sibling Tension When Caring for Elderly Parents
Building Family Consensus When Your Elderly Parent Needs Care
How to Communicate with Your Loved One Who Has Parkinson's
Avoid Poor Communication with Someone Who Has Dementia
What to Expect When You Become Your Loved One’s Caregiver
How to Balance Work and Being a Caregiver to Your Elderly Loved One
Move from Caregiver to Daughter Again with Respite Care
Best Apps and Digital Tools to Help You as a Caregiver
10 Realistic Ways to Manage Caregiver Stress
Finding Elderly Care That Fits Your Life
What to Do if You Suspect an Alzheimer’s Misdiagnosis?
Senior Care Tips & Activities for the 4th of July
Father’s Day Gift Ideas & Advice for Caregivers
How Caregivers Can Help Seniors with Anemia
Outdoor Activities for Seniors & Caregivers
Mother’s Day Advice & Gift Ideas for Caregivers
Barney Freiberg-Dale on the #1 Misconception in Dementia Care
Study: Inactive Lifestyle Adds 8 Years to Biological Age
Select Your Caregiver® by Visiting Angels
Where Do Self-Driving Cars Fit in the Future of Elderly Care
Performing a Home Care Assessment
For Visiting Angels Owners, Senior Care Is a Personal Vocation
How to Choose the Right Mobility Aid
Everything You Should Know About Adult Care (Non-Senior Home Care)
How In-Home Care Providers Can Prevent Hypothermia in Seniors
Scott Holmes: What Senior Home Care Means to Me
New Years’ Resolutions for Family Home Care Providers
How Senior Caregivers Can Help Prevent Flu in the Elderly
How to Make Thanksgiving Easier for Elderly Care Recipients
Veterans Helping Veterans through Home Care
The Elder Orphan Crisis: How Home Care Services Can Help
Keeping Seniors Safe on Halloween — Home Care Helpers & Other Tips
Post-Hospital Discharge Care — An Under-Used Part of In-Home Care
Promoting Safer In-Home Care for Falls Prevention Awareness Day
Managing Stress as a Senior Home Care Provider for a Relative
How Senior Home Care Can Combat “Mental Clutter”
Elderly Care Tips for Hospital-to-Home Transitions
Memory Loss Reversed for First Time in Alzheimer’s Care Study
Celebrate 4th of July with In-Home Care Seniors
In-Home Care Can Help You Avoid These 3 Types of Senior Scams
Father’s Day & Senior Home Care: Great Gift Ideas
Elder Care & Remembrance: Celebrating Memorial Day
Improving Social Involvement in Seniors
Local “Angels” Surprise Seniors with Mother’s Day Makeovers
Visiting Angels CEO Receives Prestigious Industry Honor
Blossoms of Love
Winter Dehydration
Preparing for the Cold Weather
It's Summer Time - Stay Out of the Heat!
Giving Back to the Caregiver in Your Family
Selecting a Home Care Provider
10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's
Support and Care for the Family Caregiver
Alternative Medicine for the Elderly
Do We Get Happier with Age?
Eating Better as You Age
Hearing Loss in Seniors – Ear Problem or Not?
We Are the Same as Our Parents
Caregivers Prepare Seniors for
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Flu Becomes Widespread and Visiting Angels protects seniors with “Fight the Flu Kits”
The Visiting Angels Difference
Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline Provides Reliable Information and Support
Holidays for Seniors
Help a Senior this Halloween with a Visiting Angels Greeter
Saying Thank You to Your Family Caregiver
Know the Signs of Parkinson’s Disease
Get the Facts on Arthritis
More Families Hit the Road for July 4th Holiday
Memorializing the Memory
National Survey Reveals Adult Children Would Rather Talk To Their Parents About Sex Than About Taking Away Their Car Keys
Memory relationships between the elderly and the not so elderly
Fall Prevention Tips for Seniors
In Case of Emergency Safety Campaign Aims to Keep Elderly Safe in Cold
Why Hire a Professional In-Home Caregiver
Help Seniors Battle Holiday Blues
Seniors Become “Silver Surfers”
Elderly Sleep Issues
Local Families Fight Heat with ‘Summer Safety Kits’ For Seniors
The Benefits of Swimming
Role Reversal with Our Parents
Obesity in Our Elderly
National Survey Reveals Children Choose Mom Over Dad
Loss and Grief
Aging Issues
Depression in Our Elderly
Seniors At High Risk from Widespread Flu Outbreak
Super Foods for the Elderly
New Year’s Resolutions
Holiday Happiness for the Whole Family:
Looking for Home Care for a Loved One?
Here are 15 Questions to Help
National Preparedness Month
Senior Advice: Developing Better Balance
Living With Age-related Macular Degeneration
Elder Abuse Grows
When is Old Too Old?
Simple Exercises for the Elderly – Part 2
Simple Exercises for the Elderly – Part 1
How to Summer Properly
There is Some Positive in Aging
Caregivers and Codependency
Insomnia
In Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s, Support is the Most Important Resource
Brain Boosting Foods
Sleep Apnea
Low Vision Awareness Month
Cloud-Bases Home Health Monitoring
Thyroid and Aging
Were You Home for the Holidays? Does your loved need help to stay at home safely?
Hip Fractures in the Elderly
Visiting Angels Walks the Talk
Holiday Blues
National Family Caregivers Month
Preparing for Winter
Brain Training for Older Drivers
Avoiding Medicare Fraud
Insulin to Delay Alzheimer’s Disease?
Why Seniors Fall
Coping with Cancer
What Your Skin is Telling You
Optimism and Strokes
Paranoia in the Elderly
Volunteering Avenues for Socially Responsible Companies
The Right Doctor for Your Elder
Understanding Mental Illness in Our Elderly
Fraud in Our Healthcare System: How to protect seniors against fraud
Substance Abuse in the Elderly (Part 2)
Substance Abuse in the Elderly (Part 1)
Medical Errors in Treating Our Elderly
Sometimes getting old can be simply a state of mind.
Is it Time for Your Loved-Ones to Leave Their Homes?
Compiling your personal medical history is important now and especially if you are elderly.
Nutritional Needs and Aging. What do seniors need to watch to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
End of Life Conversations
How do disabilities enter into the aging process?
Holidays are a wonderful time when children return home to visit their parents, in-laws, and loved ones. If you’re visiting your elderly loved ones this year and notice a few warning signs, consider senior care as an option.
Beating the Holiday Blues for Seniors
Show your gratitude each and every day especially when it comes to elders, the elderly and seniors requiring homecare
How Important is the Socialization of the Elderly?
Activities for Homebound Elders
Health Care Costs and the Elderly
Isolation and Depression in the Elderly
Respite Care Programs and Home Care Nurses Ensure Senior Safety
How Assisted Living Care Can Help Your Elderly Loved One
What Types of Services Do Home Care Providers Deliver?
Serving Communities in Greenville County, SC
Visiting Angels in
Greenville
238 Adley Way
Greenville, SC
29607
Phone:
864-284-6370
864-284-6372
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