Loneliness: A Demonic Peril for Senior Citizens

As a person ages with time, there is a significant decline in the social circle and social activity. It is no wonder that most of the senior citizens do not feel the need of staying connected as they enter their old age. It becomes excessively tiresome for them to take care of social commitments. Despite technology creeping our lives, older adults do not want to learn the new methods of communication and end up being in complete isolation.

According to various researches and studies, loneliness is a major cause of depression in senior adults. It has turned out to be an epidemic with great impact on the physical, mental and psychological health of elders. If you are an active part of any senior care services or have an elder in your family, you need to understand the effects of loneliness and how can you prevent the situation.

Why do you need to keep an eye on Seniors?

Loneliness can kick in signs of anxiety, depression, malnutrition and other health issues if not addressed in time. You need to keep a check on a senior’s daily routine and make amends to keep them engaged. If not taken care in time, loneliness can lead to various physical problems, too. Doctors have seen cases where living alone has increased the chances of arthritis, high blood pressure, heart diseases in old age individuals.

Seniors are known to have a sedentary lifestyle and spend a large amount of time indoors. They are not associated with other humans due to lack of social contact. This adds up to their isolation and lack of desire to connect with others. Dementia and other health issues slowly start to creep in if a senior citizen does not have a daily routine involving the right blend of outdoor activity, interaction and proper diet. Loneliness can lead to rapid cognitive decline that further increases the chances of dementia.
To give them a comfortable life during the old age, you need to think about taking steps that can bring some excitement to their monotonous and lonely lives.

Saving your loved one from the perils of loneliness

You might not realize the grave dangers associated with loneliness, but it can lead to a grave situation if not handled in time. To ensure that your loved one does not suffer due to loneliness, it is important to ensure that he/she doesn’t live in physical isolation. Instead of letting them live alone all by themselves, it is better to enroll them in an assisted living facility. Such facilities give seniors the freedom to live on their own terms without wanting them to take care of routine tasks. Professional caretakers and medical staff at assisted living facilities make their lives simple. Also, it is important for a family to ensure that a senior gets access to proper transitional care services in case they have been recently discharged from the hospital.

After a certain age, every person requires professional care and assistance for everyday tasks, too. While this can be challenging for families, assisted living experts can make the phase simple. Instead of keeping them in isolation, these dedicated facilities give them an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals of the same age, endow them with an interesting routine and take care of their physical and mental health.

Assisted living has a phenomenally positive impact on the life of an individual in old age. Not only it provides round the clock medical support but gives them a chance to live freely and enjoy the waning years of their lives. If you are looking to fight loneliness in the life of your beloved elder, you can choose to get them into a facility such as Papaya Care. Being one of the most renowned and established assisted living facilities in the state, it has the necessary experience and staff to handle specific needs of elders in the old age.