The Vulnerability of the Old Living Alone
Current life expectancy is increasing and the senior members of the family, such as grandparents, are choosing to live alone. They are trying to give room for their children and grandchildren to raise their young families without having to interfere. But without the proper social, family and financial support, the elderly members of the family tend to be lonely.
Since they stay alone, far away from their children, they can easily fall into depression and get involved in domestic falls and accidents in their homes. Loneliness and depression in the elderly become common factors to them.
If you watch the news, you will realise that this is not a new thing at all and that is the saddest part. Most families forget their elderly once they relocate and they also fail to offer them professional support, which is vital for their well-being.
The elderly are helpless; therefore, it is easier for a thief to creep in without any struggle and the chances of them having someone to rescue them when they get in domestic falls is close to zero. The elderly become more vulnerable to any impending danger if they fail to receive the proper care they deserve.
Risks Associated with Residential Loneliness
There is a high population of elderly currently and what makes it more stressful is the fact that they are living alone. It may be out of desire but some have no choice since their children force them to. The risks that they face with residential loneliness does not matter whether it is voluntary or involuntary. Below are some of the causes of loneliness in elderly.
1. Poor Diet
Since they are old and not strong enough to perform house chores as they used to, they may opt for poor and unhealthy diet alternatives. This is because; they are not strong enough to cook for themselves. Additionally, even if they can cook, the loneliness in the elderly will creep in and it will become hard for them to enjoy a meal on their own.
2. Inappropriate Medication
Most older people have diseases they are treating and are always on pharmacological treatments. Forgetfulness is a common problem among the old and since they live alone, they are likely to take wrong prescriptions or forget at all. When someone stays alone, their mind becomes preoccupied with thoughts and they may easily fall into depression. That is why the elderly need a support system that will remind them of the appropriate time and drugs to take for their various medical conditions.
3. Lack of Hygiene
The elderly sometimes may even lack the strength to get out of bed, let alone clean their environment. They do not have the strength to ensure that their environment is clean and everything else is in order. The elderly may face difficulties during shower times and sometimes it is because their bathrooms lack the necessary design to accommodate them. This will contribute to them not being able to observe personal hygiene at all.
4. Domestic Accidents
The elderly face challenges in terms of mobility and poor coordination. They also go through memory loss. Due to these factors, they become prone to falls and other domestic accidents such as fire fall and floods that occur in the areas they live in.
5. Lack of Social Interactions
It is among the main contributing factors of loneliness elderly. The elderly fail to interact with their immediate environment by not going outside the house or entirely not talking to anyone for months. This will, in turn, contribute to mood disorders, thus leading to depression. They will have difficulties with communication, memory, and neuronal deterioration in later stages as they lack someone to interact with daily.
6. Home care at the service of the well-being of the elderly
When you decide to hire a home care service for the elderly, you offer a solution to reducing loneliness in the elderly. You also have the guarantee that they are incapable hands. When the elderly learn of this, they get comfortable. Thus it improves their mental and emotional balance. Offering home care services that aim at the well-being of the elderly are some of the ways on how to prevent loneliness in elderly.
Allowing the Elderly to continue residing in their homes is advantageous as they will have people to interact with. You also should provide them with basic needs through home care services.
As a family, you may decide to offer part-time home care services, which will be for a couple of hours. Alternatively, the home care services can be full-time, where caregivers spend the night whenever necessary. The aim is to make them feel comfortable in an environment that is healthy and one that stimulates their energy.
Old age should be a pleasant time for the elderly even when facing challenges such as decreased autonomy and mobility, health complications and many other challenges. There are numerous loneliness in elderly solutions you can provide for them that will meet their needs. At Cuidum, you will receive the best services and support that the dependant member of the family deserves. Our services will increase their life span by providing elderly loneliness solutions to eliminate all the possible risks they are bound to face each day.
