Getting older should not be a depressing idea. As we age we become wiser, more humorous, and more open to new ideas while keeping old ideas nearby. When talking about elders, most exude a natural warmth for the outside world to feed off of. When I think about older people, I suddenly have to urge to hear long stories and eat baked chocolate chip cookies.
What would you say if I told you that some seniors do not feel that warmth on the inside? After losing loved ones they were once close to in their younger years due to failing health and lack of motivation, their future doesn’t appear as bright. These seniors feel that their best days are behind them and that the only major event they have to look forward to now is death. However, this is the opposite of the truth.
Get Them a Pet
Whether you are a senior or not, you would probably agree that sometimes animals can be more pleasant and gentle than people. Why not gift yourself or your aging relative with a furry companion to keep them company. This gift will make their heart warm. Just the simple act of feeding a pet, ensuring your dog gets daily walks, and training your cat to use their litter box can make anyone feel fulfilled. Setting up a routine to care for an animal will surely get elders out of their depressive state and back to nurturing.
Having a pet not only helps your mood, but it also could have some great health benefits that I’m sure you would not want to pass up. Pets have the ability to decrease high blood pressure, lower anxiety levels down to the bare minimum, and boost memory. Caring for an animal is an extremely rewarding gesture. Visit your older relative today with a new companion for a gift, I promise the action will be greatly appreciated.
Volunteering
No one is too old to lend a helping hand, so offer to pick up your older relative to bond over completing community service activities. The older the heart, the more caring it is. Give them the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped someone in need. This will surely get them out of their depressive state. Help them gift wrap at the department stores around your city during the holidays, take them to volunteer at a homeless shelter to feed people in need, or take them to volunteer for activities at a church of your choice.
Exercise
Exercise is not only important to the outer shell, but it is also great for the brain. When you exercise the endorphins in your brain go into overdrive. The purpose of these endorphins is to interact with the brain receptors to decrease the presence of pain in your body. This hormone triggers positive feedback in the body, the feeling is very similar to that of morphine. Exercise also reduces the presence of certain stress hormones that are present in the body. These include adrenaline and cortisol. Overall, endorphins are natural mood regulators and killers of any body pain.
Exercising with a senior between three to four times a week will let these happy hormones take over. Working out with others also gives you a social boost. Not only will your body be in shape, but your attitude will also be fit. Remember, when we look good, we feel good. For overweight elderly people, exercise will cut pounds and help them gain life.
Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to find yourself in a world filled with so many people with different interests, and these interests don’t die until we do. If your grandfather claims he painted like Picasso back in his day, instead of brushing him off, buy him a painting kit. This will work whether he is in a nursing home, lives alone, or with family. Tasks like sewing, crafting, and photography help to stimulate their minds and lead them out of a depressive state.
Play Games
Playing games and completing crafts with other elders is a great idea for a senior looking for more elders their age to have fun with. If they are in need of some younger faces for playtime, bring the grandchildren around. I promise the presence of children brings out the child in elders. Seniors enjoy the simple act of communicating with people of all age groups, genders, and nationalities. Most thrive when in the presence of a new person to get-to-know.
Events
Even if your elder does not want to volunteer for the community, taking them to local events around town. Seniors love concerts and other events that help them get involved with people. Take a day to spend at an event with your elder and watch their faces shine. If they are not interested in seeing a highly anticipated film or going on a brunch with peers, there are other events always planned at assisted-living facilities to keep your loved one in an interactive mood. Find out their likes and interest and surprise them with the promise of the company and a good time.
Take a Look at Some Photo Albums
Whether you have to bring the photos yourself or go over to your elder’s house and ask, looking over photo albums is a creative bonding experience to do with your favorite senior. Reminiscing on the good times and bad, when gazing at old photographs, are a great way to further get to know your older relative or friend. I promise you will learn something interesting about them in the process. Elders love telling engaging stories, and they will be happy to know that someone in their life cares enough to ask them to share.
Online Devices
Saying that older people are terrible with technology is a terrible stereotype that needs to end. Technology didn’t just come around 10-years-ago. It has been around for a long time. It just was not as advanced as it is now, but that is not an issue. Buy your favorite senior a new phone or tablet to see a huge child-like demeanor overcome them. Being able to access games, news, and online material with one press of a button would be a great way to improve the mood of an elder. They could spend their retirement years becoming a technology expert while emerging themselves into the worldwide web.
Find a Friend
There are websites for older people to find friends and lovers who have the same mindset and interests as them. They could find these people in-person and on the phone. This will help them gain that much-needed social interaction and bonding experience that each person desires. Just because you are older does not mean that you can not form brand-new relationships. At this age, you have the ability to make the most impactful relationships come to fruition.
Quality Family Time
Elders should know and feel that they are cared about deeply. No one can show that better than a family member. The family members and the senior should have some understanding of how often they will communicate with each other. It does not have to be every day; however, it should be often enough to where the senior does not feel neglected by any family member. If none of the above activities suit your interests, there are many other things you can do to ensure that your elder does not feel isolated and alone.
Conclusion
Depressed seniors lack the ability to see their true value because they are looking through broken lenses. Medications and ailments are the main reasons for these broken views, causing a shift in the chemical equilibrium inside of their brain. This is soon followed by a sudden lack of motivation, sudden moodiness, and isolation. Don’t let your loved one’s older years be their worst years. Follow this simple guideline of things to do, and their later years will become their most exciting years. For help with your loved ones, contact Boca home care today.
Getting older should not be a depressing idea. As we age we become wiser, more humorous, and more open to new ideas while keeping old ideas nearby. When talking about elders, most exude a natural warmth for the outside world to feed off of. When I think bout older people, I suddenly have to urge to hear long stories and eat baked chocolate chip cookies.
What would you say if I told you that some seniors do not feel that warmth on the inside? After losing loved-ones they were once close to in their younger years, failing health, and lack of motivation, the future doesn’t appear bright for some. These seniors feel that their best days are behind them and that the only major event they have to look forward to now is death. However, this is the opposite of the truth.
Get Them a Pet
Whether you are a senior or not, you would probably agree that sometimes animals can be more pleasant and gentle than people. Why not gift yourself or your aging relative with a furry companion to keep them company. I can promise you, this gift will make your heart warm. Just the simple act of feeding a pet, ensuring your dog gets daily walks, and training your cat to use their litter box can make anyone feel fulfilled. Setting up a routine to care for an animal will surely get elders out of their depressive state and back to nurturing.
Having a pet not only helps your mood, but it also could have some great health benefits that I’m sure you would not want to pass up. Pets have the ability to decrease high blood pressure, lower anxiety levels down to the bare minimum, and boost memory. Caring for an animal is an extremely rewarding gesture. Visit your older relative today with a new companion for a gift, I promise the action will be greatly appreciated.
Volunteering
No one is too old to lend a helping hand, so offer to pick up your older relative to bond over completing community service activities. The older the heart, the more caring it is. Give them the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped someone in need. This will surely get them out of their depressive state. Help them gift wrap at the department stores around your city during the holidays, take them to volunteer at a homeless shelter to feed people in need, or take them to volunteer for activities at a church of your choice.
Exercise
Exercise is not only important to the outer shell, but it is also great for the brain. When you exercise the endorphins in your brain go into overdrive. The purpose of these endorphins is to interact with the brain receptors to decrease the presence of pain in your body. This hormone triggers positive feedback in the body, the feeling is very similar to that of morphine. Exercise also reduces the presence of certain stress hormones that are present in the body. These include adrenaline and cortisol. Overall, endorphins are natural mood regulators and killers of any body pain.
Exercise with a senior between three to four times a week to let these happy hormones take over. Working out with others also gives you a social boost. Not only will your body be in shape, but your attitude will also be fit. Remember, when we look good, we feel good. For overweight elderly people, exercise will cut pounds and help them gain life.
Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to find yourself in a world filled with so many people with different interests, and these interests don’t die until we do. If your grandfather claims he painted like Picasso back in his day, instead of brushing him off, buy him a painting kit. This will work whether he is in a nursing home, lives alone, or with family. Tasks like sewing, crafting, and photography help to stimulate their minds and lead them out of a depressive state.
Play Games
Playing games and completing crafts with other elders is a great idea for a senior looking for more elders their age to have fun with. If they are in need of some younger faces for playtime, bring the grandchildren around. I promise the presence of children brings out the child in elders. Seniors enjoy the simple act of communicating with people of all age groups, genders, and nationalities. Most thrive when in the presence of a new person to get-to-know.
Events
Even if your elder does not want to volunteer for the community, taking them to local events around town. Seniors love concerts and other events that help them get involved with people. Take a day to spend at an event with your elder and watch their faces shine. If they are not interested in seeing a highly anticipated film or going on a brunch with peers, there are other events always planned at assisted-living facilities to keep your loved one in an interactive mood. Find out their likes and interest and surprise them with the promise of the company and a good time.
Take a Look at Some Photo Albums
Whether you have to bring the photos yourself or go over to your elder’s house and ask, looking over photo albums is a creative bonding experience to do with your favorite senior. Reminiscing on the good times and bad, when gazing at old photographs, are a great way to further get to know your older relative or friend. I promise you will learn something interesting about them in the process. Elders love telling engaging stories, and they will be happy to know that someone in their life cares enough to ask them to share.
Online Devices
Saying that older people are terrible with technology is a terrible stereotype that needs to end. Technology didn’t just come around 10-years-ago. It has been around for a long time. It just was not as advanced as it is now, but that is not an issue. Buy your favorite senior a new phone or tablet to see a huge child-like demeanor overcome them. Being able to access games, news, and online material with one press of a button would be a great way to improve the mood of an elder. They could spend their retirement years becoming a technology expert while emerging themselves into the worldwide web.
Find a Friend
There are websites for older people to find friends and lovers who have the same mindset and interests as them. They could find these people in-person and on the phone. This will help them gain that much-needed social interaction and bonding experience that each person desires. Just because you are older does not mean that you can not form brand-new relationships. At this age, you have the ability to make the most impactful relationships come to fruition.
Quality Family Time
Elders should know and feel that they are cared about deeply. No one can show that better than a family member. The family members and the senior should have some understanding of how often they will communicate with each other. It does not have to be every day; however, it should be often enough to where the senior does not feel neglected by any family member. If none of the above activities suit your interests, there are many other things you can do to ensure that your elder does not feel isolated and alone.
Conclusion
Depressed seniors lack the ability to see their true value because they are looking through broken lenses. Medications and ailments are the main reasons for these broken views, causing a shift in the chemical equilibrium inside of their brain. This is soon followed by a sudden lack of motivation, sudden moodiness, and isolation. Don’t let your loved one’s older years be their worst years. Follow this simple guideline of things to do, and their later years will become their most exciting years. For help with your loved ones, contact Boca home care today.
