Tips for Helping Senior Citizens Manage Stress

Is your elderly loved one quite stressed lately? There are many things going on in this world that can lead someone to be stressed. Your elderly loved one may also have some personal stuff going on that causes their stress to be higher, as well. The good news is there are numerous ways that a person can handle and reduce stress. Hopefully, you and home care providers can share these tips with your elderly loved one, so they can better manage the stress.

Diet and Exercise are Important

Home Care Long Prairie, MN: Managing Stress

What does your elderly loved one eat more than anything else? If they are eating a lot of carbohydrates or fatty foods, those aren’t going to be great for their stress levels. Research shows that eating fruits, vegetables, and protein are better for managing and reducing stress.

How much is your elderly loved one exercising? If they barely exercise or only do it for a few minutes at a time, once or twice a week, that won’t help much with their stress. In fact, it may be making their stress even worse. If this is happening, you or a home care provider may want to help your elderly loved one set up an exercise plan. It doesn’t have to be excessive, but it should include exercise for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time, 4 to 6 days each week.

Socializing Can Help

Did you know that socializing is a great way to manage stress? In fact, some people who are stressed find that their stress almost completely disappears when they spend time with family members and friends. If your elderly loved one isn’t currently spending much time with other people, you or an elderly care provider should take them to visit people. If your elderly loved one doesn’t have many friends or family members, hopefully, you and their home care providers can go to visit them a few times every week.

Learning Healthy Coping Skills

One reason why your elderly loved one may be very stressed is because they haven’t been coping well with various things in their life. For example, if your elderly loved one hears bad news, they may take multiple naps a day to hide from how they are feeling. This would likely only make their stress higher. It would be good for your elderly loved one to learn healthy coping skills such as journaling, talking to a friend, or exercising.

Conclusion

Are you noticing that your elderly loved one’s stress levels are high? Do they have a difficult time managing their stress? If these are things you or a home care provider have noticed, now would be a good time to share these tips with them.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering Home Care in Long Prairie, MN please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/