Promoting Social Engagement and Community Involvement for Isolated Seniors
Author: Ketan Shah
Promoting Social Engagement and Community Involvement for Isolated Seniors
As seniors age, it becomes even more important for them to have the community involvement and social engagement that they need. These interactions help to reduce loneliness and isolation that become real problems for aging adults. Isolation can lead to much bigger issues, even culminating in physical health issues. Companion care at home can help to promote both social engagement and community involvement for seniors.
Social Engagement and How it Helps Seniors
But why is social engagement so crucial for seniors? Social engagement is a massive part of mental and emotional well-being. Staying socially engaged means that seniors have emotional support when they need it and they are less likely to feel lonely and isolated. They also experience better moods overall. This all helps cognitive health, by keeping the brain stimulated, and also helps seniors to prioritize things like physical activity, which boosts overall health.
Companion Care at Home and Socialization
Companion caregivers are like friends who come over and visit with aging adults. They might engage in activities with seniors, spend time talking, or try out different things seniors want to do. Just having someone there to talk to is a huge boost for aging adults, but companion caregivers can also offer help with things like transportation to other social events.
Finding Engaging Activities
Engaging activities are ones that seniors find interesting and that help them to have a positive experience. These could be activities as simple as reading, having a conversation, or playing games. But they could also be more complicated activities like creating a garden together, learning a new skill, or trying out crafting activities.
Staying Involved in the Community
Companion care at home can also help seniors to stay involved in their communities. By offering help with transportation needs, companion caregivers can help seniors to get to community events, medical appointments, or other types of gatherings. They can also make it easier for aging adults to do things like volunteer in the community, spreading their wisdom and experience to other people around them.
Improving Communication with Others
Staying in touch can be tough to do, which is a common reason that seniors start to feel isolated and lonely. Technology isn’t always intuitive to understand, and that can make seniors feel left out. Companion caregivers can help seniors to do things like make a video call or send text messages to friends and family members. This helps seniors to find new ways to connect with the people they love.
Creating a Positive Environment for Socializing
When seniors are feeling isolated and alone, it’s tough for them to feel positive. That tends to have a domino effect elsewhere in their lives and they may find it difficult to keep up with things they want to do, including keeping their homes tidy. Creating a safe and positive environment might involve tidying up together and helping seniors feel happy at home again.
Companion care at home offers a variety of ways for seniors to experience socialization even if that’s been difficult for them to do recently. Even a few hours a week with companion caregivers can make a tremendous difference for aging adults.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING COMPANION CARE AT HOME IN LOS GATOS, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY. (408) 317-4969