As adults begin to age, they may become less resilient to stress, which puts their health in jeopardy. It’s necessary for older adults to find ways to alleviate anxiety and enhance their quality of life. Here are some tips you can use to lower your senior loved one’s stress levels.
Laugh Together
Laughter is the perfect way to distract seniors and alleviate stress. Find something fun for your loved one to do, such as watching a comedy film or television series. Laughing relieves the stress response and eases tension in the muscles. Maintaining a good sense of humor can boost mood as well as the immune system. Encourage your parent to tell more jokes and look for the humor in situations instead of focusing on the negative aspects of life.
Encourage Exercise
Staying physically active can help older adults reduce stress and maintain a high quality of life. Exercising can be as effective as supplements and prescriptions when it comes to relieving anxiety and preventing depression. Engaging in physical activity causes the body to release feel-good endorphins that combat negative stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Physical activities can also increase gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is a neurotransmitter that can lower the risk of mood disorders. Ideal physical activities for older adults who want to alleviate stress include walking, dancing, yoga, and swimming.
Stress is one of many components 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 senior care. Jefferson County families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Discourage Procrastination
Even with more free time in the retirement years, it’s easy for older adults to procrastinate about daily tasks and other commitments, which can increase the amount of pressure to meet deadlines. The stress your loved one experiences from procrastinating could have a negative impact on his or her sleeping habits. It’s important that seniors get plenty of rest to reduce their risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, and other health conditions. Helping your loved one develop a schedule that’s easy to follow can reduce the risk of procrastination and alleviate stress.
Seniors who don’t manage their stress levels well could develop serious illnesses, making it a challenge to care for themselves without help. If your senior loved one needs around-the-clock assistance at home, the Jefferson County live-in care professionals at Home Care Assistance are here to help. Our proprietary Balanced Care Method was designed to promote longevity by encouraging seniors to focus on healthy eating, regular exercise, mental engagement, and other important lifestyle factors.
Promote Socialization
Maintaining healthy relationships is essential to your parent’s overall wellbeing. Being social can boost mental and emotional health and significantly reduce stress levels in the senior years. A healthy network of family and friends can help aging adults find positive ways to manage loss as well as other issues that increase their stress levels, such as decreasing health and a lack of independence. Remaining socially active can help your loved one face the many changes he or she will experience. Your loved one will have someone to lean on as well as people who will get him or her out of the house to have a good time when things aren’t going well. Just sharing thoughts with a mentor or friend can alleviate stress and enhance mood.
Stress can result in mental, emotional, and physical challenges for aging adults, but they don’t have to manage them alone. In Jefferson County, home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. If your loved one needs help with the challenges of aging, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (303) 987-5992.