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I've recently been thinking of ways to make elderly parents feel less lonely during the day, or in between visits and calls.
If your parents are experiencing this as well, I would love to have a quick chat with you to understand what their day usually looks like, what you've tried so far and where they are having the most issue.

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I am not experiencing this, but I can offer a couple suggestions that come to mind;

You can hire a companion aide to come to the house and spend time with them, take them out for a walk, play a game or just chat. Some churches may have volunteers who will do this.

If the parent is able to leave the home, you can look into Adult Day Care. Often, they will send transportation to pick up the elder and bring them home again. Social interaction and activities are available for those who want that.

Remember that not everyone has the same idea of "lonely" and not everyone relishes social interaction. I'm speaking as an introvert. I used to wonder why friends and neighbors would always try and push me to do things that they liked to do. I felt pressured, and guilty saying "no". It took me a while to recognize that some people are energized by social activity, while others, like me, feel drained by it. So, don't push anyone into something they have no interest in doing. Joining a group of others for crafts and games would be torture for me.
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Reply to CaringWifeAZ
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My mom's facility has an activities director. She is encouraged to participate in bingo, crafts, animal therapy, music nights, etc. She also will go down the hall a few times during the day and chat with other residents. She likes to point out to me which ones are her friends and which she has dirt on, lol.
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Reply to JustAnon
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Welcome to the forum!

One thing I suggest is to resist becoming your parents' Entertainment Committee. If they can't figure out how to keep themselves and their minds occupied at least some of the time, then you're going to be orbiting around them endlessly (and it may be a sign of cognitive decline/impairment and they won't be entertained because their brains are broken). It will burn you out.

That being said, I think technology can fill a lot of those hours. Many years ago I gave my Mom my old iPad and loaded games on it. She uses it every day to entertain herself, plus watches animal shows on tv. She's 97 now and lives next door to me and I have to have boundaries about not being her solution for entertainment or else I'd never get anything done (she has mild/moderate dementia/memory impairment). My Mom also still cleans her house, takes care of her own hygiene (mostly), can still prep some of her meals, gardens a little. And that fills up a lot of each day. If your parents aren't doing any of this, then maybe there's a different problem that needs to be solved.
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Reply to Geaton777
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Hope21 5 hours ago
I wish I had “known you” when I started caring for my dad in my home! I have tried so hard to be his social secretary (in addition to all the other care needs), and it has not worked out well. Into it 5.5 years now and have found nothing that satisfies. Lots of reasons, too long for anyone to endure reading here, but this is a constant source of frustration and guilt. Believe me I have tried. Realizing now that had circumstances (health and finances and Covid epidemic) been different, he would have been better off in a good ALF where he could have enjoyed more social interaction. Thank you for advising care givers that their person bares some responsibility for their own lives and happiness, and can even benefit from those expectations!
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Hey mate, cheers for the response - no promotion of any services or anything like that, just want to get an understanding of what other people might be experiencing and how they've dealt with it.
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Reply to KevinM123
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If you are going to promote a service or personal employment to anyone on this forum, this isn't allowed.

If you're seeking ideas for your own personal implementation, then all of those can be posted here in the thread by other participants. That's how this forum works.
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Reply to Geaton777
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