Senior citizens are often at risk of becoming lonely or feeling socially isolated from the world around them. Feeling lonely doesn’t isn’t always linked to being alone. Many people can be alone often and not feel lonely, while others can feel lonely in a crowded room of people. Senior home care providers can help with some of the suggestions here.
What is Loneliness?
Loneliness is a feeling that a person has that they are without support and people who appreciate and acknowledge them regularly. Loneliness is often linked to social isolation. If your loved one has lost a lot of her friends and family but hasn’t made new ones or isn’t active in the community, she can feel socially isolated, and those emotions can lead to loneliness. Because of health reasons, a lack of transportation options, and a loss of long-term friends and family, many seniors find themselves feeling extremely lonely.
Is Your Loved One At Risk of Becoming Lonely?
While not everyone will become lonely because of these risk factors, they can all contribute to loneliness if an elderly person doesn’t have a good support network around them.
- Family or friends have to move far away.
- Reduced vision or hearing that makes connecting with others difficult.
- Loss of mobility that restricts activities.
- The inability to drive makes getting to places difficult.
- Cognitive struggles that make conversations difficult.
- Living alone in an area that is isolated from others, like a rural home without nearby neighbors.
- Financial limitations that restrict the activities the person can participate in.
Five Ideas to Help Your Loved One Stay Connected
- Talk to your loved one about what type of activities she used to enjoy or even what types of activities or hobbies she always wanted to try, and help her get signed up for a group or class that will be of interest to her. Many are geared for seniors, as well as others that welcome all ages. Whatever your senior prefers is the right choice for her.
- If transportation is an issue, help her find reliable and safe transportation so she can still leave her home safely to attend the places and events she’d like to. A senior home care service that offers transportation services can be a great solution and keep your loved one off public transportation if she isn’t comfortable with that. A senior home care provider will pick her up at the front door and help her get to where she is going comfortably and securely.
- Encourage outdoor physical activity when possible. Walking around the neighborhood is a great way to meet neighbors and form relationships. A trip to a local park to birdwatch is a good way to connect with the community and make new friends.
- If your loved one cannot leave the home easily, have a senior home care provider make regular visits for tea, a game, or just some nice conversation as they sit at the dinner table.
- Consider volunteering. A great way for seniors still in good health to connect with others while serving their community is to volunteer. By volunteering at a location that is of interest to your loved one (like the library, a museum, or a community garden), your loved one will naturally connect with others who share her same passions, making it easier to form friendships and connections that will help alleviate those feelings of loneliness she’s been battling.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Senior Home Care Services in Princeton, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Expert Home Care today at (732) 937-5320.
We provide exceptional live-in home care in New Jersey, including Monroe Township, Edison, New Brunswick, Red Bank, Lakewood, Princeton, Morristown, Flemington, Stockton, Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Montclair, Livingston, Summit, and surrounding communities.
We have been providing Home Health Care to New Jersey families since 1985, and have grown to become one of the largest licensed providers of Live-In Home Care in the upper New Jersey area. Our many years of New Jersey home care experience has produced a company that over 8,000 clients have come to rely on confidently, for help.
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