---

Author: Dan Nathanson

Loneliness is a huge issue for many seniors. It has massive impacts on both mental and physical well-being, which means that it’s essential for families to figure out a solution for seniors who are facing loneliness. Working with companion care at home is often an easy, seamless solution for aging adults who spend too much time alone. Here’s how it works.

Personalizing Companionship Opportunities

Regular home care services focus on offering help with household tasks, personal care tasks, and other types of hands-on assistance. Companion caregiving is a little bit different. Companion caregivers offer emotional support and spend time with seniors engaging in activities that are interesting and fun for those seniors. They’ll do different types of activities with different seniors they spend time with, because each experience if personalized.

Creating Consistent Social Interactions

Another way that companion care at home helps seniors deal with loneliness is through scheduling their visits consistently. Some seniors may want to have companionship a few times a week, others may want less frequent visits. What really matters is that aging adults have an option for consistent social interactions with other people.

Encouraging Participation in Activities

For many seniors, it’s tough to stay excited about activities if they’re feeling lonely and isolated. Having companions around more regularly can help to encourage seniors to be involved in what’s going on around them. These activities might be arts and crafts, cooking, reading, gardening, or any number of other activities. This is important because this all helps seniors to stay mentally stimulated and experience more joy in life.

Offering Emotional Support and Encouragement

Loneliness is bad enough, but it tends to lead to bigger issues. Seniors who are lonely often start to feel sad and may even become depressed. Companion caregivers are there to spend time with seniors, offering them encouragement on a regular basis. Seniors need emotional support and someone to listen. Companion caregivers can fit that role for them.

Enhancing Daily Routines

Often when seniors are lonely and feeling isolated, they’re also having a tough time sticking with their daily routines. Knowing that they have someone who is going to visit them can help seniors establish and stick with daily routines that help them live the lives they want to live. Companion caregivers might offer companionship during meals, talk with seniors while gardening, or walk along with them during a morning stroll.

Ensuring Safety at Home

Companion caregivers aren’t there to help with household chores or similar situations, but they do know what to watch for in terms of keeping seniors safe at home. They spend time with aging adults, but they’re also noticing safety issues or red flags in conversation that might indicate that seniors aren’t getting all the help that they need. This helps family caregivers get the information they need to make decisions about better supporting their aging adults.

Building Trust with Seniors

It’s essential that seniors know that they can count on the people who are helping them. The more that seniors get to know companion caregivers, the easier it is for them to start feeling more trust in the relationship. This helps seniors in the long run to have all of the support that they need.

Companion care at home is a reliable solution for seniors who are experiencing loneliness more often than they did in the past. Companion caregivers want to help seniors have the best possible experience aging in place, and they want to offer whatever support they can.

If you or an aging loved one are considering companion care at home in Ventura, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers Home Care of Ventura County today at (805) 386-1031.

Home Helpers Home Care of Ventura County provides exceptional home care for seniors in Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Ventura, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Agoura, West Hills, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Topanga and surrounding areas.