How Can Families Tell a Loved One is Lacking Companionship?
Whether seniors live far away from family caregivers or family members are just busy, it might not be obvious at first when seniors are starting to withdraw and feel lonely. For many seniors, it’s so important to stay independent and age in place, but they may not realize the emotional implications over time. Understanding what the signs are when seniors are spending too much time alone makes it easier to know that it’s time for solutions like companion care at home.
Increased Isolation
If it seems as if seniors are becoming more isolated, it’s time to look more closely at how that’s impacting daily life. When seniors have too few social interactions, it’s easy for them to start feeling disconnected from the world around them. As isolation increases, seniors are at greater risk of other problems, like depression and increased health problems. Spending time with elder care providers can be the first step in reducing isolation.
Withdrawal from Social Activities
When it’s been a common occurrence for seniors to engage in social activities, it’s natural to expect they’ll still do those things. Seeing them make big changes like no longer attending community events or dropping hobbies they love means that seniors may be having more trouble engaging with others for a variety of reasons. Companion caregivers make socializing easier because they come to seniors in their homes.
Trouble Communicating
Issues like cognitive decline or hearing loss can cause trouble communicating. As communication worsens, seniors may have more trouble maintaining social relationships and they start to withdraw. Recognizing that communication troubles are starting can let family caregivers know it’s time to look for solutions that can help.
Neglecting Home Maintenance or Personal Hygiene
Changes in basic self-care, like no longer bathing regularly, or neglecting home maintenance can be a sign of loneliness or depression. Coupled with an increase in isolation, this is a big sign that seniors are missing the connections they used to have with other people. Companion care at home can give aging adults a reason to want to tackle these tasks again.
Declining Cognitive Function
Changes in cognitive function can indicate a variety of different situations. Sometimes seniors experience increased memory trouble, confusion, or disorientation because of a medical issue like a urinary tract infection or because of cognitive illnesses like dementia. But depression and loneliness can also cause similar symptoms, so it’s important to get to the true cause.
Fear of Being Alone
If seniors start to share that they’re afraid of being alone or they feel hopeless about their situation, that’s a very big sign something is going on. Spending time talking with aging adults can help family caregivers figure out whether there’s an underlying health issue or if seniors would benefit from companion care at home. Solving that problem for them can help seniors rebuild confidence.
Companion care at home is a compassionate way for families to make sure seniors maintain their independence, age in place, and get the social interaction they need and want.