Keep Seniors Social, Happy And Healthy This Winter

or many caregivers, senior care tends to revolve around keeping individuals healthy, as well as helping them to manage any chronic conditions they may be living with. However, while staying on top of doctor appointments and medication schedules is certainly important, other aspects of a healthy senior lifestyle shouldn’t be overlooked. People are inherently social, and this doesn’t change as we age. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for seniors to experience social isolation, which can encourage a lower quality of life and even raise other health concerns.

Do seniors face more isolation?
A recent report from Canada’s National Seniors Council investigated factors that may contribute to seniors experiencing greater instances of social isolation than younger adults. According to the source, a number of lifestyle, medical and personal determinants can come together to result in a situation where a senior may find him or herself isolated from the community.

Many factors cited can be considered a direct result of the aging process - for example, the study found that being over 80 years old can contribute to greater isolation. However, several indirect influences can come into play as well. Seniors with no family close by - either because they have no children or their kids live too far away to visit often, or whose spouses have passed away - may often find themselves alone.

Existing medical conditions, especially chronic health concerns, can contribute to greater feelings of isolation in indirect ways. If a senior is medically unable to live in his or her home, or has limited access to transportation, he or she is less likely to engage in social situations and thus be more isolated.

Helping seniors to be less isolated
While a number of factors can contribute to a senior feeling more lonely than younger adults, a wide variety of strategies can fend off these feelings.

Don’t leave them alone
There’s a fine line between solitude and isolation. While having some alone time can be a nice reprieve - and even beneficial to reducing stress levels in some cases - if seniors spend too long on their own, it can be easy for the calm of solitude to quickly give way to the loneliness of isolation. However, many seniors are seniors are hesitant to make a big move from their adulthood homes, either for sentimental reasons or for fear of losing their independence. If the special senior in your life isn’t feeling ready to move to a retirement community, there are still options for him or her to interact with peers. Many senior communities offer adult day care for those who wish to spend a short period of time among those their own age. Your senior may even want to consider a retirement community that offers independent living options if he or she wants to immerse him or herself into a community.

Make use of technology
With personal communication technology growing at an exponential rate over the past several years, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with loved ones. Even those seniors who aren’t particularly tech-savvy can access new and easy-to-use devices and programs. Tablets are great due to their large screens and intuitive touch-controlled interfaces, and software programs like Skype can let people from all over the world stay in touch with each other for free. Video chatting programs even let relatives see each other, so even if the senior in your life lives alone and is too far away for frequent in-person visits, it’s still possible to get in plenty of face time.