A significant number of seniors continue living at home as they choose to age in place. Recent studies show seniors who decide to do so are often isolated, with this isolation leading to loneliness, stress and depression. While making a significant move to a senior living facility is not the ideal choice for many people, it could be what your loved one needs to combat loneliness and the depression that often accompanies it. Read on to find the different ways senior living facilities help with both.
It Provides Opportunities for Social Interactions
With social isolation leading to loneliness and depression, it follows that social interactions can help with both. Seniors feel secure and less lonely when they are surrounded by their peers. This happens whether your loved one is very social or less so.
Social interactions can stem from seemingly small things like greeting a peer in the morning or joining them for breakfast or another meal. Doing so means your loved one will see at least one person who will brighten up their day and make them feel less isolated.
To further increase social interactions, most senior living and care home facilities will provide lots of stimulating activities for their residents to participate in. Each of their activities should ensure continuous engagement so none of their residents feels isolated or lonely. You can learn more at this website: stpetersbury.com.
Allowing Family to Visit
Understandably, it can take some time for some seniors to get accustomed to their new living arrangements. It can take some time for them to make friends, and this is where family visits become crucial. Senior living facilities allow family members to visit their loved ones any time they wish to see how they are faring. This can be incredibly helpful for seniors who need to know their family still cares about them. These visits can also help combat the feeling that their family abandoned them at the facility which can lead to unwanted anxiety and stress.
Exercise
Whether a loved one can walk around the block or do a little exercise, every bit helps. There is documented evidence that exercise helps combat stress and depression. Senior living facilities know this which is why they encourage their residents to do as much exercise as they can within their abilities. Many of these facilities are also located in areas that are conducive to walking and exploration without their residents feeling unsafe like they would in their old neighbourhoods.
Having Someone to Talk to
When a person is isolated like many seniors often are, it can be difficult to find someone to talk to. This issue is exacerbated if family and friends do not call or visit regularly. Seniors have peers to talk to in senior living facilities. These seniors understand them, allowing them to have deeper conversations that give them peace of mind and help reduce feelings of loneliness.
In addition, these facilities also have professionals trained in having conversations with their residents. While they do not strictly offer professional counselling sessions, they can help seniors deal with whatever they are going through in their lives.
Creating a New Home
Indeed, a room or apartment at a senior living facility doesn’t compare to the home they were used to, but seniors get a chance to build a new home. Recreating the feeling of home, whether it is by decorating it how they wish or by adding familiar items, can give seniors something to focus on rather than their feelings of isolation and depression. Putting themselves in a different headspace is often credited with this effect. Special touches like family photos, plants and memorable keepsakes can all help their new home feel comfortable. All these can help remind a loved one of happy memories that can remind them of special relationships and experiences that help keep loneliness and depression away.
Encouraging Healthy Isolation
Although it has many negative effects, isolation can have some benefits. For example, a loved one can spend some alone time reading or engaging in a productive activity like crafting. However, it is important to manage this isolation time to ensure they do not fall back into old patterns.
Senior living facilities have many benefits, including helping reduce loneliness, isolation and depression. They do this in various ways such as encouraging social interactions and ensuring seniors have someone to talk to when they need to.
