You may not want your senior loved one to be alone, but did you know it can be dangerous for your loved one? Unfortunately, senior isolation can easily happen. They may not be as mobile as they once were, meaning they don’t get out to do their hobbies and activities, they may not be able to drive, so they lack transportation, or they may lose interest because their friends have passed on. Most of these issues are things that senior home care can help with; these professionals may also be able to provide some companionship for your senior.

Depression

Now, learning to enjoy being alone is different and doesn’t mean they should always be alone. A senior can enjoy living away from a senior home but still plan to see and talk to friends. On the other hand, if you find your senior has decided to live alone but is not finding ways to keep in contact with family and friends or they have stopped doing activities they love, they are at risk for depression.

This is also something that senior home care may start noticing, and it could be linked to something else. If you think your loved one is depressed, you should take them to a doctor and therapist for more professional help. Encourage your loved one to take senior classes in the area and ask for senior home care to help transport them. It’s important to limit the feelings of depression, this could be a brief period of sadness, or it could last a very long time.

Loneliness Can Lead to Physical Illness

Unfortunately, loneliness can lead to chronic conditions. It may impact their heart and even lead to strokes which are not good for your loved one! No one knows why this exactly happens.

However, it could be because when your senior mom or dad lives alone, they stay away from people, so when people show up, they automatically do not trust them. This can put your body in a defensive mode or become super stressed, which can lead to inflammation impacting the entire body. This is just a theory; more research must be done to understand how loneliness can impact the human body.

Increases Cognitive Functions

You may not know this, but just spending time with your mom and dad can help prevent cognitive decline, which will help them age in place for longer. Conversation can help them remember language, improve memory, focus, and even more. This is something that you can do, or even senior home care can do, since they provide some companionship as well. When your seniors can remember things for longer, it will help them live much longer.

Increased Mortality Rates

When a senior lives alone and won’t contact anyone outside their home, they may not get the medical help they need to thrive in old age. This can cause them to die without help, and you may not even know. Cognitive and physical decline plays a huge role in your loved ones’ mortality rate. It’s time to start encouraging them to seek out friends and hobbies.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Senior Home Care in San Carlos, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care. Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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