The feeling of isolation for seniors can have long-term health consequences. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic when refraining from social gatherings is recommended, it’s important to find creative ways to remain engaged with your family, friends and the community. According to The United States of Aging Survey, nine out of every ten seniors plan on living in their homes over the next ten years or so. Most people don’t intentionally isolate themselves from others, but it can slowly begin to happen over time. Here are some things you can do as a primary caregiver to help seniors avoid feeling isolated.

Encourage Social Interaction

Even if a senior can’t go out and attend events, there are still plenty of ways to maintain social interactions. Call a different friend or family member every day and consider using video calling so you can see their facial expressions and feel like you’re there with them. Seniors could also interact with their neighbors in person regularly to remain social. As a primary caregiver, you can identify when your loved one is struggling with social isolation and encourage various forms of social interaction to help.

Give Them Proper Mobility Equipment

A major reason why some seniors isolate themselves is because they don’t have confidence when going outside their homes and moving around. You can boost their confidence by providing them with mobility equipment like a mobility scooter, wheelchair ramp, auto lift and anything else they need to make getting out of the house easier. Even seniors who don’t drive a vehicle can get different places using public transportation when they have the right mobility devices and equipment to help them.

Help Them Discover A Sense Of Purpose

Having a sense of purpose is important for everyone’s mental state, especially seniors who may feel isolated. Discovering a sense of purpose could be in the form of planting a garden and maintaining it, volunteering with an organization, cooking meals for those in need and much more. The more a senior feels like they provide value to a certain cause, the greater the chances are they’ll avoid feeling isolated.

Find A Loving Pet They Can Take Care Of

Pets sometimes have a way of getting people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. For example, it’s easy to make an excuse to not go for a walk to get your exercise one day, but if you have a dog that needs to be walked, you’ll most likely take the walk for their benefit. Aside from the health benefits of owning a dog or other pet, the feeling of caring for another creature that depends on you can help with your sense of purpose as well. 

At Next Day Access, we believe one reason why seniors feel isolated is because they feel like they can’t safely leave their homes. Our goal is to remove this fear so seniors can live life the way they want to and feel comfortable doing so. It’s amazing how much peace of mind a senior can have when they have a wheelchair ramp to go down instead of stairs and can hop on their mobility scooter when they need to go somewhere. We would love to help, so contact us today to schedule a free home assessment.