Losing someone is tough at any age. Seniors in particular may experience the death of someone they care about more significantly than they might expect. Grief is complicated and seniors may withdraw and spend more time alone than is healthy. Companion care at home is one answer, especially in conjunction with other ideas.
Find Some New Routines
After a big loss, the same old routines might be full of holes left by the person who isn’t there any longer. New routines give seniors something else to focus on for a little while and can help them to find purpose without the person they’re missing. Even just switching up a few activities to different times of the day can help. If big changes are too intimidating, switching up just one or two small habits can offer some support.
Take Care of Health Needs
Grief can cause seniors to neglect their own health and well-being. Focusing on the ways that they can take better care of their own health, like eating healthy meals and remembering to exercise when they’re able to do so. Home care providers can help aging adults remember to refocus on some of these activities and get back to taking better care of themselves. Family caregivers can talk with medical providers and keep an eye on any big indicators that there might be something bigger going on.
Find New Hobbies, Opportunities, and Purposes
Looking for ways to spend time that are enjoyable and that help seniors to focus on something besides their grief is so important. Trying out new hobbies, looking for opportunities to enjoy life, and finding a new purpose can all help. Even trying something new once a month or once a week can help quite a lot.
Make Companionship Easy to Access
Spending time around other people is sometimes difficult while coping with a loss. But when companionship is easy to access, like with companion care at home that comes to seniors where they are, that takes a lot of the effort out of the process. Companion caregivers can engage in hobbies with seniors, help them get out and about more often, and simply spend time with seniors talking to them and doing whatever they want to do.
Honor the Loss
Never talking or thinking about the person they’ve lost isn’t the way for seniors to cope with that loss. Finding ways to celebrate the memory of that person can offer some healing when times are difficult. There are lots of ways to honor that person, from engaging in activities they loved to volunteering in organizations that person supported.
Some seniors have a tougher time dealing with the loss of someone they love than others. None of that is right or wrong, so the real goal is about making sure that seniors have someone to talk to and spend time around while they cope. Companion care at home offers a no-pressure way for seniors to get the socialization they need and to have someone there to keep them company.
If you or an aging loved one are considering companion care at home in Burnsville, MN and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
