To help promote your elderly loved one’s overall wellbeing this New Year, consider making the resolution to tailor home care to best meet his or her individual needs. This can apply to either your own caregiving or the senior home care Roseville agencies provide as well. Here are just a few ideas to help make that happen.
Spend More Time Just Visiting
Many seniors feel like they rarely have time to spend just visiting with family, which can be especially true regarding the relationship with a family caregiver. Often, time spent with your loved one is focused on what needs to be done rather than on quality time, which can leave your loved one feeling like a burden rather than a pleasure. Plan to carve out some time at least weekly to spend just visiting with your loved one. Even just half an hour can make a big difference in the quality of your relationship and make caregiving easier on both of you.
Exercise Together
Too many of us lead a life without enough exercise, according to doctors. One creative way to help both you and your loved one become happier and healthier is to consider devoting some time to doing an exercise program together. Not only is exercising with another person more fun, but it can be a great way to spend time with your loved one while both of you are getting healthier. Knowing your loved one will be waiting for you may be an incentive to work out on days you might have skipped otherwise. Even if you already exercise alone, try to make time to participate in exercise with your loved one a few times a week. This can be a great chance to try a new option like water aerobics, yoga, or hiking. Make sure you look for a program that matches both your and your loved one’s abilities. On the days you can’t exercise together, consider hiring a caregiver in Roseville to help your loved one stay active.
Help Your Loved One Complete a Community Service Project
Few things help us feel better than doing something nice for someone else. The gift of giving and helping often becomes especially poignant for seniors as they realize how much they have been helped by family and friends throughout the years, which can make them anxious to give back. Your loved one may enjoy the idea of participating in some form of community service but is unable to do it alone or not sure where to start. Come up with some options that center around a cause your loved one finds important and then let him or her decide which option to pursue. Anything from volunteering at the local humane society to reading books to children at the library is a good way to give back. Your loved one will feel bolstered by his or her chance to offer something to the community.
Encourage Him or Her to Stay Socia
A big part of anyone’s happiness is staying connected to people who matter and having a socially healthy and fruitful life. Even seniors who aren’t particularly people-oriented still need some social activity to keep from being lonely, so make it a point this year to help your loved one stay connected with current friends and get back in touch with older ones. Help your loved one search Facebook or check in with the alumni division of the school he or she attended to see if they have information on some of his or her old friends. Set aside some time each week to help your loved one establish and maintain connections with friends whether by bringing him or her to a coffee shop to meet a friend or lending your laptop so he or she can respond to emails and check Facebook. Taking time to help your loved one stay socially connected can stimulate and invigorate him or her and start the year off right.
There are a variety of ways you can help promote your loved one’s overall wellbeing. Beyond the care you provide, consider hiring a professional caregiver from Home Care Assistance to help. Our caregivers not only make great companions for providing social stimulation, but they can also assist with exercise, transportation, and a variety of other daily tasks. For more information on live-in and part-time care Roseville families trust, call (916) 226-3737 to speak with one of our friendly Care Managers.