TMC No. 09 - Preventing Isolation

Editors Note:

I hope you are sliding into the holiday week here in the U.S. with a smile on your face. Me? I’m back from another week of travel across the country. Hubby and I took our dear daughter (DD) on a college tour in Savannah, GA with a pitstop in Charleston, SC.

While it was a great week and the college visit is helping choices to be made, I’ll admit travel wears me out. Not so much the excursion itself, but the getting to and from.

One thing I’m super happy about is that my village always takes care of me. For that, I’m grateful, as it relieves the stress of being gone and the isolation that creates for dad, since he no longer drives. He had lots of visitors this week and when I got home he said, “The week was great! Everything was good.”

And that is music to my ears.

Preventing isolation is critical to our loved ones. In some cases they no longer have the ability to help themselves in this area, especially if they no longer drive. It is important for their minds and bodies, just as it is the same for us.

We still have to live our lives and do all of our things, including travel, to keep our minds and bodies strong. Humans need interaction. No matter the age.

The key is the execution of everything. Check out some of the ideas below!

My inbox is always open, simply hit reply if you have a topic suggestion or need help finding a particular resource. I love hearing from you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

VaNessa

The two articles, I chose this week, are to help with isolation and grief during the holidays. My dad always says the holidays make him sad. Many of his friends are no longer with us, nor are his parents. While he’s happy to be with our family, there’s still sadness. Hopefully these help you put a little happy into the moments that will come for your loved ones over the next 6 weeks.

Effects of Social Isolation: A guide for older adults - An article about the effects and how to improve the situation.
Coping with Grief during the Holidays - A good article with some tips to help work through this time of year that may not be the happiest for everyone.

5 Ways to Reduce Isolation for Older Adults (curated from various sites).

• Make Transportation Available. Example: we drive dad or arrange rides for him. There are community services that will provide rides for seniors at low or no cost. And don’t forget to ask your friends/family.

• Promote Sense of Purpose. Example: we have dad water the garden during summer and he helps with our dog when needed.

• Encourage Religious Seniors to Maintain Attendance at their Places of Worship. Example: We have an 86 year old friend that goes to his church weekly.

• Give a Senior a Pet or Plant to Take Care Of. Example: dad has both a little dog and one of my friends gave him a plant he loves.

• Encourage Visitors to Stop By. When we travel our friends will come visit for an hour or two. Remember, as we age energy levels decrease and everyone will have a different level of “social” energy, so it doesn’t have to be a long visit.