The number of people suffering from poor mental health is on the rise all the time and as we get older, we tend to become a lot more suspicious of those around us and we tend to feel negative thoughts when we are not surrounded by friends and family. This is one of the downsides of getting older and so it is incredibly important that you try to get yourself involved in activities and to make sure that you have certain items and gadgets in your life that make staying in contact a lot easier. If you are the son or daughter of an elderly parent that live by themselves then you’re probably constantly worried about their well-being when you’re not there and so this contributes to poor mental health on your part as well. It is known as a catch 22 situation and so it’s likely that you need to take steps to help your elderly parent to feel safe while also reducing your anxiety about it as well.
When you are not there to take care of your elderly parents, then they are worrying about it as well and so this can have a detrimental effect on their mental health. One way to provide them with the assurances that they need is to invest in affordable personal alarms for elderly so that they know that there is help at the push of a button. This is a thing that elderly parents carry on their person with them at all times and if they feel in danger then they can push down on a button and it can let you know immediately that they are experiencing issues. As well as this personal alarm, there are other things that can be put into place that will help to make people feel a lot safer and so their mental health will improve as a direct result.
- Ensure social connections – This would include making sure that your elderly parent gets to visit friends and family on a regular basis but if they are housebound, then you can use technology to help you as well. You could invest in a smart phone so that they can call friends and family and have face time at any time when they are depressed or have anxiety. You could even invest in a laptop so that they can join social media websites and catch up with friends that they haven’t seen for many years.
- Stay active physically & mentally – Regular exercise is incredibly important and there are many things going on in your local community like days out to the sea or to a popular tourist spot as well as regular trips to the local park to feed the pigeons. Keeping the mind active is essential as we grow older and so anything that improves upon their mental and emotional health like playing PC games for example is going to have an overall positive effect.
It is important that senior citizens feel safe at all times so that they can maintain strong mental health. Providing personal alarms, house alarms and other life-saving devices can provide them with the peace of mind that they need.
Photo by DANILO PIACENTINO on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
