How To Help The Aged To Overcome Loneliness

It is quite common for the aged to feel lonely and isolated; the loneliness could start off from the loss of a spouse, decline in physical abilities, loss of hearing, vision or inability to keep in touch as one did in ones younger day. Children as well as grandchildren can help the aged at home to get over loneliness.

Ways to help the aged overcome loneliness:

• Try to keep more in touch with the aged in the family; ring them up once a week, if you were only doing so once a fortnight. This is especially important when there have been changes in their life, like the loss of an important person, a physical disability or some other important milestone like an 80th birthday.

• If your aged parent/parents stay with you, it is time to remind them that they still matter for you; they would be happy if you sat by their side at least once a week reminding them of your childhood days, their youth and talked about  people that mattered and still matter in their life.

• It would give the benefit of a physical presence to your lonely aged parents if you could visit them once in a while and hug them and spend a few days with them, especially if you stay out of town. If distance and time is a challenge consider getting in touch through Skype; make sure your contacts are regular.

• I still remember the joy in my grandma’s face when we took her for a concert by M.S. Subbalakshmi; taking the aged to concerts, theater, community festivals, comedy, and other social activities they love would give them a chance to do things they cannot do alone and would make them happy.

• My son told me, “I did the greatest thing by teaching grandma how to operate the computer”; how very true, it has opened a new world to her. She operates the computer daily, pays her bills and is able to talk to my brother on Skype every week; if she wants some information, she just fishes it out from the Google. If we are unable, we could sure arrange for a first-timer computer classes.  

• Checking out on community resources for the aged in the locality helps; most urban and suburban areas have such senior centers that provide good opportunities for entertainment, and to connect and make friends. You could encourage even a shy or reluctant lonely aged person to join such groups to be happy.

• Some aged and lonely people get addicted to lottery entries and contests; not all of them are legitimate. You could check the mail and the contest entry forms to make sure there are no strings attached like paying fees to get the winnings.