Staying in touch with loved ones is incredibly important for older adults as they may begin to feel isolated if they live away from their friends and family or don’t know how to use the latest technology. As people get older, it’s common for their social circles to grow smaller, and have a harder time meeting new people that they’re able to regularly see.
According to a report by the National Institute on Aging, 28% of older adults in the U.S., or about 13.8 million people, live alone and this can lead to social isolation and health risks. These risks include cognitive decline, depression, and heart disease. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways you can help them stay in touch to lessen the risk of loneliness and isolation.
Some ways you can help your senior include:
- Phone Calls
- Send Letters & Postcards
- Set Up Their Social Media Profiles
- Plan Regular Visits
Contact Bluebird Homecare to learn about our services and how we can help your senior.
Phone Calls
Planning regular phone calls is often the easiest way to stay in touch as it doesn’t require any additional learning on their end. You can also help them learn how to do video calls such as through Facetime or a phone app like Skype. If your schedule makes it hard for regular phone calls, you can text them to establish an easy, low-pressure way of connecting. If they have vision problems that make it difficult to read messages, there are plenty of phones that offer easy-to-use keyboards and ways to enlarge messages or read them out loud.
Send letters & Postcards
If you have kids, sending letters and postcards is a fun activity you can all do together. You can set aside some time once or twice a month to send out letters and establish regular contact with your loved one. This will also help them with their cognitive function as they’ll be writing regularly and learning new information. Additionally, you can send them care packages with things like drawings, activity books, and snacks.
Set Up Their Social Media Profiles
You can also show them how to use direct messaging functions to help them to reach out to friends or family members who may not have their phone number. Facebook is often the easiest option as almost eight out of ten adults in the U.S. have an account. After you set up their account, you can help them add friends to their profile and show them various basic functions such as search, posting statuses, and how to comment on other people’s posts. This will allow them a simple way to see what their friends and family members are up to and feel more included.
Plan Regular Visits
If you live near your loved one, you and your family can plan regular visits to their home or invite them to yours. During this time, you can try things like cooking a new meal together, playing board games, or catching up over coffee or tea. To make sure you’re keeping up with them regularly, you can create a standing date where you regularly see each other a few times a month.
Bluebird Homecare Can Support Your Loved One
Need additional help for your loved one? At Bluebird Homecare, we provide in-home care tailored to your loved one’s specific needs. Our mission comes down to this: we will treat your family like our family. And our company leadership has a very simple rule of thumb: we won’t send anyone into your home that we wouldn’t send into our own homes. Our services include:
- Condition Specific Care
- Companionship Services
- Laundry & Light Housekeeping
- Meal Preparation Help
- Personal Health & Hygiene Care
- Transportations, Outings & Errands Help
Contact Bluebird Homecare today to learn more about how we can help your senior.