When it comes to taking care of the people we love, sometimes it’s not always easy as encouraging positive habits and hoping they’ll stick. Depending on the age, life experience, mindset, or even stubbornness of our loved ones, they may or may not be interested modifying their lifestyles, especially in older age. However, there are still many (relatively simple!) ways to help elderly loved ones stay healthy.
Here are a few tips to move them in a positive direction (without pushing too much):
1. Help Them Stay Active
The first and most important tip is ensuring that your elderly loved ones are getting enough exercise. Exercise is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health, and it can be easy to let this slip as we get older. So it’s important to encourage your parents, grandparents, older relatives/friends etc. stay active, even if it’s just a short walk around the block or some light gardening.
Assuming your loved ones are able-bodied, there are many ways you can help them stay active. One way is by accompanying them on walks or hikes in nature. If they enjoy gardening, you can offer to help with yard work or plant maintenance. You could also sign them up for a senior citizen’s fitness class at the local community center. Whatever you do, make sure that you encourage them to stay engaged in physical activity.
2. Guide Them In Finding A Comfortable Home
If your loved ones can no longer take care of themselves, it may be time to start looking for a nursing home. This can be a difficult decision, but it’s important to remember that nursing homes are not all the same, so you may want to use something like this consumer directed personal assistance program for better planning.
When you start looking for a nursing home, you should keep a few things in mind. First, you will want to find a clean and well-maintained facility. Second, you will want to make sure that the staff is caring and attentive. And finally, you will want to find a nursing home that offers a variety of activities and amenities to help your elderly loved ones stay healthy, positive, and engaged.
3. Support Healthy Dietary Choices
Another way you can support your elderly friends/relatives is by helping them to eat a healthy diet. It can be easy to let our diets slide and start eating more processed and unhealthy foods as we get older. However, it’s important to remember that a healthy diet is essential for maintaining physical and mental health.
You can do a few things to help your loved ones eat a healthier diet. One way is to cook meals for them using fresh, whole ingredients. You could also take them grocery shopping with you and help them choose healthy food items. Or, you can encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables by planting a garden together or taking trips to the farmer’s market.
Taking care of elderly loved ones can be a challenge, but it’s essential to do what you can to support their health and well-being. Remember to keep things simple, to focus on the long-term, and to worry less about enforcing your beliefs and habits and more about teaching them what they have the power to change in their own lives!
For more tips about caring for elderly persons, head to our blog page!
Featured Image Credit: Johnny Cohen
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