As people get older, their bodies start to weaken. At this point, they might need some assistance to do their daily routines. However, not everyone might welcome that assistance wholeheartedly. Some seniors would rather do everything on their own. Home health care provider Amavi teaches you how you can help your older loved ones stay independent and get more fulfillment.
Understanding Why Seniors Want To Be Independent
Considering their condition, you might wonder why seniors might be adamant about getting any help from others. Understanding their reasons for doing so will help you better aid them while letting them move more freely.
Being Able To Feel Like Themselves
During their younger years, your older loved ones might be very active individuals. They would often have their itinerary of activities. The onset of old age means they can’t do any of the stuff anymore.
This loss of the ability to do things they like can feel like losing a part of themselves. As such, they would often want to retain as much of that individuality as possible. Hence, they might try to perform these activities by themselves from time to time.
Regaining A Sense Of Purpose
Related to the above, seniors often want to rediscover a sense of purpose. Since they can’t do things they once did anymore, they might experience a feeling of uselessness. Being independent helps them regain that sense of purpose and boosts their confidence in their abilities. It also helps create a stronger sense of belonging within their family.
Boosting Their Mental Health
A negative effect of the loss of independence among seniors is depression. All the above circumstances might weigh down on them tremendously. When that happens, they can feel very lonely and distant.
Regaining that independence helps seniors get out of that depressive state. They see the world in a more positive light and become more active. That also helps improve their mental faculties. Their cognition also gets sharper, which helps stave off illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
A Boost In Physical Health
You can also think of helping your older loved ones become more independent as they get that much-needed physical exercise. They get to move around more and hone their balance and flexibility. Additionally, this is a good workout for their hearts and helps maintain blood pressure levels.
Better Socialization
Interestingly, letting your elderly loved ones be more independent also helps improve your relationship with them. Instead of seeing you as trying to control their movements, they would now see you as more of a companion they can lean on.
That also does wonders for their wider social interactions. They get to engage others on their terms and build more meaningful relationships. Additionally, they get to explore the outside world more.
Helping Your Senior Loved Ones Become More Independent
However, you might wonder how you should go around helping your older loved ones be more independent. There is often the hesitation that doing so might be more harmful to them. That is very much a legitimate concern. However, be more open-minded about this one.
Here, you need to understand what they can do. That depends on their overall health. If they can still move around freely, you should let them move as much as they want. Even if they have existing conditions, you should be more open-minded in letting them do things within their capacity.
You should also change your mindset about your role. Here, don’t be the type that oversees everything your loved one does. You should not also try to stop them from attempting to do something outright. Instead, your role is guiding them to ensure they are on the right track. This will require a lot of patience, as you aid them in their activities.
Making Your Home Better Suited For Elderly Independence
An essential first step in helping your elderly loved ones be more independent is setting up the right environment. With that, your home should be conducive to that purpose. The first thing you would want to do here is to ensure greater accessibility.
Ensure that they have everything they need within reach. For instance, arrange their clothing and other toiletries so they can groom themselves with little assistance. Do the same for all the things they need for their desired activities.
Additionally, you should ensure that the home is safe for them to move around in. Clear away the various corridors and rooms so they can easily pass through. You can also install tools like handrails and ramps to facilitate faster m movement.
Create The Right Schedule For Them
Sometimes, being independent can be overwhelming for seniors, as they soon find plenty of things on their plate. To avoid that confusion, you can create a schedule for them. The idea is to ensure that their day isn’t overloaded with too many things to do.
Also, put in enough downtime during their day. That can be used for relaxing or just doing lighter activities they want. Avoid placing activities like medical appointments too close to each other, as these can tire them out quickly.
Make Healthy Living Fun For Them
As mentioned above, one of the biggest benefits of being independent is that it helps seniors stay healthy. Thus, you want to help them further embrace that aspect. To do that, you need to make it more fun for them.
For instance, look for exercises that they would love doing. Dancing is a particular one that many older people can readily relate to. You can also encourage them to try new healthy activities.
Another effective strategy to help them adopt these practices better is by setting goals for them. The idea here is to help them see their progress in becoming independent. These goals should be something that they can achieve. It should also relate to their current situation. For instance, you can make it a goal for them to recover from an injury.
Give Them Choices
Independence also means that your elderly loved ones exercise their opinions and preferences. With that, it is always a good idea to give them choices. For instance, give them several options on what to wear for a particular day.
Make sure these choices are something they want. That will get them more interested in exercising their freedom. If they ask for your opinion, give them an honest one but still tell them they have the final say.
Getting The Help Of The Best Home Health Care Services
Even if we are talking about independence here, your older loved ones might still need the help of a home healthcare service. At Amavi, we are ready to provide that service while ensuring your loved one can enjoy their independence.
Our caregivers will give your loved one the leeway they need to enjoy their daily activities. But they are ready to lend a hand should they need it. Beyond that, our caregivers can provide companionship to help them better enjoy activities. Contact us today and let us help your elderly loved one stand on their own again.