Senior Adults: How To Keep Socializing To Avoid Depression
It’s well known that loneliness is a risk for older adults and that’s why it’s vital to keep socializing. For seniors with neurological diseases it’s particularly important to chat to people. Speech stimulates the synapses in the brain, keeps you active and is good for your mental health.
Although Fairview Adult Day Care Center in Brooklyn NY remains closed until further notice, we are staying in touch with our people. We are taking all measures to ensure that all our registrants have access to the services they need during the COVID-19 outbreak.
During this public health crisis, it is important and critical to ensure that we support registrants’ health and wellbeing, remove the barriers to care and help them to adjust.
Our nurses continue to coordinate care, do remote health monitoring to manage chronic conditions better and health education. Social workers talk and socialize with them to provide emotional support and case management to anticipate registrants’ needs.
In addition, we are reaching out to our participants and their families to keep them active and engaged. So, we are continuing one-to-one support, sharing our news and stories, and encouraging them to keep socializing.
What Can Loneliness Do To You?
People with traumatic brain injury, a neurological disease, or who have had a stroke, are prone to loneliness and isolation. This can lead to a downward spiral in physical and mental health, including depression.
The best remedy is social engagement, chatting, singing, laughing, playing games and having fun. Things like this can lift the spirts and make you feel better in yourself. All seniors need to keep socializing for their own health and the benefit of their families, friends and peers.
Keep Socializing Whenever You Can
Don’t miss an opportunity to engage with others and have a chat or a laugh. Talk to your neighbor and take an interest in the people around you and what they are up to. Listen to them but also tell them your thoughts and concerns. Reminiscing about the old days is great for morale and well-being, and people will love to hear something new.
Take part in activities where other people are present, whether that’s a meal, a walk, a game, or a singalong.
If you speak another language seek out fellow speakers and chat to them. Using another language is great exercise for the brain and highly beneficial for mental health.
Another way to keep socializing is to use video conferencing to chat to friends and loved ones. In this way you can keep up to date with what your brother, sister, son, daughter or grandchildren are doing. You can see them as if they were sitting next to you and take pleasure in their smiles and laughter.
Watch comedies and have lots of laughs! Talk to people about them and other program you watched on TV, something you read in the paper or heard on the radio. All this is crucial for your mental health.
Do things you enjoy doing and keep socializing to stay active and independent for longer.
This article is for educational and informational purpose only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. For any questions about your own health condition, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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