Are you noticing that your elderly loved one isn’t really taking care of themselves? Sure, they may eat and even exercise sometimes. However, they may be struggling with anxiety, high levels of stress, not participating in hobbies, not socializing often, or experiencing other issues with not taking care of themselves. If this is going on, you may want to intervene and start helping your elderly loved one to practice better self-care tips.  

Understanding Their Needs and Wants 

Sometimes, senior citizens have a tough time recognizing or even understanding their wants and needs. The needs may come easy to them when it comes to needing to get groceries, needing to clean their house, and things like that. However, they may not see self-care as a need. If this is the case, you may need to step up and help your elderly loved one to see that self-care is vital. Maybe, you or a 24-hour home care provider could help your elderly loved one to make a list of their needs and wants. That way, they can understand that, yes, there are necessities in life such as paying bills or eating, but physical and mental self-care is also important.  

Continued Education and Skill Building 

Your elderly loved one may be stuck in their ways. They may want to do things the same way they have done them for years. However, that may not include taking care of themselves, especially when it comes to their mental health. If your elderly loved one is hesitant to practice self-care, you or a home care provider can work with them on this. For example, you may want to encourage your elderly loved one to continue learning new things. Maybe, they would be willing to take a class on something they enjoy such as writing. They can continue to build on skills as a method of self-care, too.  

Better Mental and Emotional Health  

Does your elderly loved one struggle with anxiety or stress? Maybe, they are even going through a bout of depression. The problem is that many elderly people won’t admit to having these issues. Even if your elderly loved one won’t admit to having mental or emotional health issues, you can still help them to feel better. For example, you can have a 24-hour home care provider spend Sundays with your elderly loved one just to socialize. You could go to your elderly loved one’s house and bring over dinner to eat with them. These are some ways that you could help your elderly loved one to practice self-care without them even asking for it.  

Conclusion 

These are some of the best tips for helping senior citizens to improve their self-care. With these tips, hopefully, your elderly loved one will start seeing that self-care is important and they need to dedicate time to taking care of all aspects of their health and lifestyle.  

If you or an aging loved-one is considering 24-Hour Home Care in Carrolwood, FL please contact the caring staff at Healthy Services Of Tampa, Inc today. 813-932-9922 

Sources 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place-growing-older-home