Gainesville Seniors!
Your Appearance May Effect Your Emotions
For seniors, maintaining good personal appearance often goes hand in hand with maintaining a sense of purpose in life. When we have places to go, things to do and people to see, we naturally take greater interest in how we look.
A decline in grooming often indicates that a senior needs assistance due to a loss of physical dexterity or onset of conditions like Alzheimer’s that inhibit the ability to perform the activities of daily living. But it also can go much deeper, signaling depression and a loss of direction or interest in life.
Such a change in attitude can follow significant life changes that commonly accompany aging—retirement, illness, loss of physical and mental capabilities, children and grandchildren moving away, having to move, and death of a spouse.
These kinds of changes can leave a senior feeling ungrounded, without the sense of purpose he or she derived, for instance, from going to work every day.
Family and professional caregivers can help ease these transitions by being sensitive to seniors’ feelings, offering a listening ear and opening alternatives to help seniors stay connected and active—physically, socially, and mentally.
The National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health and the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation provide a wide variety of tips for helping seniors avoid depression and maintain a purposeful life. These include:
Help maintain friendships and contact with family to ease loneliness that comes with the loss of a spouse. Help the senior get out of the house to visit people, or arrange for friends and family to visit. Helping the senior stay connected through letters or e-mail is another option.
Help the senior develop hobbies and new skills or support and encourage the senior to continue involvement in lifelong interests.
Encourage regular exercise, which helps elevate mood and prevent depression. Go on walks with the senior or help with other activities he or she enjoys like dancing, gardening or swimming.
Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.
For More Information
Alzheimer’s Association: Tips for Dressing and Grooming
Agingcare.com: Bathing, Dressing, & Hygiene
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
