Many seniors don’t realize how important they are to their families and the other people in their lives, leading to a negative self-image. However, there are some simple ways to help them gain a new perspective. If your elderly loved one needs help understanding his or her worth, these tactics may be the key to promoting positivity.
Make Your Loved One Feel Appreciated
Like everyone else, seniors want to feel needed and appreciated. Offer sincere compliments. Tell your loved one how much you like his or her outfit or how good he or she looks in general. Give praise and thanks for helping you with the laundry or setting the table. Ask your loved one’s opinion and seek his or her advice about things you’re experiencing in life. Your parent may have had similar experiences, and helping you might boost his or her self-esteem.
Low self-esteem can result in mental, emotional, and physical challenges for aging adults, but seniors don’t have to manage them alone. Home care service agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Assisting Hands Home Care, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We encourage seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
Encourage Your Parent to Set Goals
Seniors can sometimes lose their sense of purpose, and the importance of their goals can be forgotten. However, there’s no greater way to bolster confidence than to strive for and meet a goal. Suggest a new hobby or class to replace something your loved one is no longer able to do, and help him or her celebrate when new goals are met.
Seniors with negative self-images may not be motivated to practice self-care and, as a result, develop serious illnesses, making it a challenge to care for themselves without help. If your senior loved one needs assistance at home, the Frederick, MD, home care professionals at Assisting Hands Home Care are here to help. Our caregivers promote longevity by encouraging seniors to focus on healthy eating, regular exercise, mental engagement, and other important lifestyle factors.
Spend Time with Your Loved One
No one likes to be a burden. Encourage your loved one to do as much as he or she can independently, and ask for help when you’re doing chores like unloading the dishwasher or folding clothing. Plan outings just for fun that don’t involve doctor visits or errands. Spend special time doing things you both enjoy, such as going to the movies, having lunch at a favorite restaurant, or taking a walk in the park.
Help Your Parent Stay Physically Healthy
A positive self-image is often directly connected to physical health. While some seniors find it difficult to remain healthy, it’s important to ensure they stay at their best. Make sure your loved one takes medications as prescribed, gets enough sleep, eats well, and gets regular exercise.
Poor self-image is one of many things that can contribute to decreased mental and physical health in seniors. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of elderly home care. Frederick families can rely on Assisting Hands Home Care to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today at (301) 786-5045.
