4 Activities your Can Do with Your Senior Loved one to Keep Good Mental Health
One in five older adults experience a variety of mental health concerns including memory loss, emotional imbalance and depression.
Most mental health cases respond well to treatment, but unfortunately many older adults go do not get diagnosed and go untreated, which can lead to diminished functioning, severe memory loss, demetia, poor quality of life, and increased mortality. Mental health is just as important as physical health.
Good mental health contributes to an overall feeling of well-being. In turn good mental health, positively impacts your stress levels, memory, sleep, aging and feel about yourself.
There are many way you can improve your mental health, here are three important activities:
Stay Active and Exercise
Focus on your emotional and cognitive health with regular physical activity. While physical activity produces chemicals in the body that promote emotional well-being, inactivity can make depression, anxiety, and stress worse.
Games
There have been multiple studies showing the benefits of keeping your mind and memory sharp. However, not all games are geared towards exercising your mind. Not all seniors are inclined or enjoy playing games.
For those who do have senior loved ones that are inclined towards playing games there are a number of them known to keep the mind and in particular the memory sharp.
Here is a short list of puzzle types:
Crossword Puzzles
Play them electronically on a device or the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper. Either way a good crossword puzzle works the memory.
Chess
You can also play electronically but a traditional board with pieces may be more the style of your senior loved one. Chess helps the mind stay sharp with strategic thinking and anticipating your opponent’s next move.
Jigsaw Puzzles
A good jigsaw puzzle jogs memory, spatial thinking and more. With limitless possibilities for content in a jigsaw puzzle you can find your favorite scenes.
Social Contact & Relationships
Emotional health starts with happy social, family and friend relationships. Help your senior loved one by staying in touch with friends, family, and the greater community.
Whether physically healthy or ill, people who feel connected to others are more likely to thrive than those who are socially isolated. This is especially true for older people.
A Positive Mindset
Keeping a positive mindset can help your senior loved one stay happy. Positive thinking can help you live a longer, happier life. Positive thoughts can help you reduce stress. Positive thinking and optimism on health can lower depression, improve coping skills during hardships and time of stress, and your psychological and physical well-being.
Conclusion
If you are looking for ways to bond with your grandparent without face-to-face contact, try some of the suggestions in this article. Both you and grandparent will feel closer than ever. Our caregivers can help facilitate this process by assisting with these calls and encouraging these activities.