One of the key factors in depression in seniors is social isolation. In our experience as a Fort Collins home care provider, we’ve seen how connecting with others on a regular basis can help minimize depression and improve quality of life. While maintaining friendships gets harder as we age, there are steps that can be taken to make it easier to stay in touch with family and friends.
How to Support Friendship in Seniors
Here are some things you can do to encourage and support social interaction:
- Assist with transportation. Whether it’s driving a senior to a social event or making arrangements for others to do so, simplifying a senior’s transportation issues goes a long way toward helping them maintain relationships.
- Identify and encourage shared interests. Sometimes all two seniors need is for someone to say, “Hey… you both seem to be passionate about gardening,” and the relationship naturally deepens from there.
- Enable technology. From social media posting to text messaging to connecting through video calls, there are many ways that seniors can stay in touch using technology. Helping a friend or loved one get set up to use these tools makes it easier for them to connect.
- Create opportunities for shared exercise time. It’s important that seniors stay both physically and socially active. Combining the two can be a real win-win. Coordinating the schedules of two or more seniors so that they can walk, swim, or engage in other activities together is a great way to help them maintain friendships.
- Coordinate visits with other loved ones. Working with the people that care about a senior, including their Fort Collins home care provider, to ensure that they get regular calls or visits can ensure they always have some social interaction to look forward to.
- Encourage involvement in a faith-based community. If a senior you care about does not attend worship services or other faith-based events, it can be a good idea to suggest this and help them find a community where they feel at home.
- Look for a support group. Hospitals, mental health centers, and other organizations often sponsor groups related to the challenges seniors face, from the loss of a spouse to medical conditions. Doing some research for a senior can make it easier for them to get involved in one of these groups.
The Power of Relationships
At Seniors Helping Seniors, we know that social connection and friendship can be life-changing for seniors and help them avoid the social isolation that can lead to depression. Please contact us today to learn more about our Fort Collins home care services in a free consultation!
We’re honored to provide quality care for seniors by seniors in Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Longmont, Johnstown, Berthoud, Ault, Wellington, Windsor, Frederick, Firestone, Laporte, and surrounding areas.