Home care providers can play a crucial role in supporting elderly loved ones who may be feeling lonely. Even if you’re helping them around the home, running errands, or inviting them over for supper a few times a week, you may still notice signs of loneliness.
This can be especially true if your loved one lives alone and doesn’t have nearby family or neighbors to connect with regularly.
Why Seniors Are Prone to Loneliness
Home care services can play a vital role in combating loneliness, a feeling of isolation that many people experience. Even in a large group, loneliness can set in when there’s no meaningful connection or when someone feels left out.
For seniors, this often becomes more common as they face challenges in maintaining social connections.
Common contributors to loneliness can include:
- The death(s) of close family members or a spouse. Losing that lifelong friend and confidant can make your loved one at a loss of how to connect with people she’s only just met.
- Loss of mobility. If connections were previously formed through physical activities like games of tennis at the senior center, hiking through the woods with a walking club, or even meeting up for coffee each Saturday at a local café, then losing the physical ability to do those things can make your loved one feel lonely.
- Health issues. From cognitive health issues that may make conversations or connections more difficult to physical health issues that weaken her immune system and make physical contact dangerous, your loved one may feel more isolated due to certain health conditions.
A Pet Can Help Combat Loneliness
Home care services can help an isolated loved one feel less lonely, but another great option to consider is pet ownership. Having a pet brings companionship, responsibilities, and meaningful experiences that can greatly reduce loneliness in seniors.
- Grooming a pet such as a dog or cat can provide sensory connections to a warm and caring living being.
- Petting a pet, even a rabbit or guinea pig, can reduce feelings of anxiety and help slow a racing heart.
- Providing physical care for a pet can provide a sense of responsibility and purpose.
- Pets can open the door to connect with others who are also pet owners. If your loved one can get out and be physical with her pet, she can make friends at a dog park. If she’s homebound, she can find online group chats of owners who have similar pets and share photos or funny stories.
- Watching a pet or playing with a pet can distract your loved one from feelings of loneliness.
Finding the Perfect Pet
The key to picking the right pet is understanding what your loved one wants, what she can afford, and what she can care for. Some pets require a lot more care than others. And while a dog will require much more work than a fish, if your loved one has her heart set on a certain pet but you’re unsure if she can manage caring for it, consider having a home care provider help with some aspects of pet care.
A home care provider can help with cleaning up after a pet (emptying a litter box or cleaning out a fish bowl). Home care providers can assist your loved one when she takes her dog for a walk or plays with the cat.
Once you’ve planned out how the pet will be cared for, your loved one will be ready to enter the world of pet ownership and feel a bit less lonely.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in East Hartford, CT, please contact the caring staff at Talem Home Care & Placement Services of Hartford, CT, today. Call (860) 969-3134
At Talem Home Care & Placement Services of Fort Hartford CT, we provide passionate, understanding, and flexible caregivers in Hartford, Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, Cromwell, East Hartford, Farmington, Glastonbury, Kensington, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Windsor and surrounding areas in Connecticut.
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