Last week we discussed loneliness in senior adults. This week I would like to explore suggestions on how to help senior adults deal with their loneliness.
- Visits—schedule regular visits with family, friends, church {or society/community} members, etc. Ask friends to visit your senior adult on a regular visit, but remind them your loved one tire easily. Ask them to not stay for more than an hour or two. If you have a large family nearby, maybe everyone could take a day each week for a short visit.
- Schedule outings—schedule regular outings for your loved one {if they are mobile and able to go}. Find friends already going, ask a neighbor or search for a senior transport company for transportation. This could be a community {especially if they are in a retirement community} outing, to church, to the theatre or movies, to concerts, or to other activities s/he enjoys.
- Senior Action—this is a great resource for senior adults with numerous activities and often you can arrange for transportation through your local senior action center.
- Adopt a Pet—if your senior adult loves pets, adopting a dog or cat might be a great idea for companionship.
- Music—lifts spirits and helps combat the loneliness. Find or make CDs of his/her favorite songs that can be played. Also, inquire at church or in the community about an individual/group that can come sing for your loved one {if homebound}.
- Discover a passion your senior adult loves and have them teach someone else—this could be a neighbor, grandchild, caregiver, etc. However, it makes them feel useful and needed. Along with the fact that they are doing something they love. It doesn’t matter if it’s gardening, cooking, sewing, putting together puzzles, working on model cars, etc. If your senior adult is physically unable to do the task themselves {not able to bend or stand for long periods} they could sit in a chair and give directions.
- Teach technology—if your senior adult is still mentally able, teach him/her how to Skype, email, text, etc. this is a great way to maintain contact with children, grandchildren, siblings and friends. If your loved one is mentally unable to understand the setup, possibly you or a caregiver could set things up for regular visits. This is a great way to maintain contact for family members that do not live nearby.