September is Women’s Friendship Month, which makes it the perfect time for senior women to check in with their female friends. Taking the time to keep friendships strong will mean better mental and physical health for senior women. Over time women can drift away from their female friends because of the demands of taking care of their families and working. But as they get older when their children have grown they have more time to nurture those friendships. And those senior years are when women need their friends the most. If your mother, aunt, or older sister is lonely aging at home and not quite sure how to reach out and renew some of those old friendships these tips might help her:
Use Social Media
Social media is a fantastic way to track down old friends. Often people move, change jobs, or end up in totally new areas of the country which makes it difficult to track them down. Social media is a fast and easy way to reconnect. And it gives the other person the option to either accept the friend request or ignore it so there’s no awkwardness. If the person wants to be friends they will accept and if they don’t they’ll ignore it and your senior loved one can move on.
Send A Card
A handwritten card or note is a lovely way to rekindle a friendship. If your senior loved one knows the address of an old friend and knows they are still at their home, or knows their current address, sending a cute little postcard or a handwritten note indicates that they are opening the door to friendship again. And just like with social media a cute note or card gives the other person the option to ignore it if they’re not interested so it’s not uncomfortable or awkward. A senior home care provider can help your senior loved one purchase cards or stationary and can help them mail the cards they write.
Be Honest
There’s no easy way to start a friendship again after a long time apart. But if the friendship didn’t end because of a fight and instead it just fizzled the best way to start a conversation about being friends again is to be honest with the other person. Your senior loved one should let that person know they missed the friendship and still thought about them after these all these years and want to get to know them again.
Start Slow
After an absence of many years there will probably be some hesitancy on the part of both people. It’s unlikely that even former best friends will just fall back into daily conversations or spending lots of time together. That’s ok. Start with a few phone calls each week, or a weekly lunch, and let the friendship naturally develop again. If your senior loved one can’t drive any longer a senior home care provider can help arrange transportation for lunches out or shopping excursions.
If you are considering senior home care in Summerlin, NV for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.
