How To Support In Old Age
Supporting a person during the aging phase can be difficult, especially if you do not have the appropriate knowledge. However, it is not impossible either. On the contrary, it can be a very beautiful task. What should you keep in mind?
Despite the increase in life expectancy, the difficulties associated with aging persist, especially in people who have lost part of their independence. For this reason, it is important to learn how to best support old age.
Among the reasons why a person loses his autonomy or his ability to perform certain tasks, there are chronic and degenerative diseases which, over time, become more pronounced.
However, the support of family members or other volunteers can be crucial so that the senior does not lose their quality of life. However, it is important that all caregivers have some knowledge of this noble work.
Older people are more vulnerable
The World Health Organization defines aging as:
Some older people are considered dysfunctional because they need support to carry out their daily activities. When people enter old age, they are also more vulnerable to disease, which forces them to receive more medical care.
According to the Manual of General Care for the Dysfunctional or Dependent Elderly, prepared by the Institute for the attention of the elderly of the Federal District, there are certain activities in which the elderly have more difficulty. These activities are:
- Up and down the stairs
- Personal cleanliness
- Leave the house
- Get dressed
- To use the phone
- Follow a therapeutic treatment
- Clean the house
- To cook
- Washing clothes
- Getting around inside the house
- Eat
How to support in old age
Faced with these difficulties, it is normal to wonder how to accompany in old age, because many people do not feel prepared and it is difficult for them to keep a positive attitude towards it. Some suggestions for accompanying old age are as follows:
How to accompany in old age: listen to them
Elders can tell the same story many times. The rest of us already know how this story will end. But it’s important to keep in mind that they don’t have any new experiences to tell, and that’s one of the reasons they always remember their wonderful childhood stories.
Another reason may be that their memory doesn’t last long, and they can’t remember if they’ve told this story before. That’s why they tell it with the same enthusiasm as the first time.
How to accompany in old age: make them feel useful
Elderly people need to exercise their minds, otherwise they might suffer from premature aging. It is important that they are allowed to do their simple tasks, without imposing prohibitions. For example, they may not be able to prepare a plate of food. But they can clean the potatoes for others to cook.
An older adult may not be able to wash themselves, but he or she may fold some of the laundry or pull it apart. It is advisable to assign them simple tasks with which they feel useful and which allow them to move their joints.
Accompany them on visits
When older adults visit family or friends who haven’t seen in a long time, it makes them feel good.
Let them be surrounded by their business
As much as possible, they should be allowed to sleep in their beds and live at home. Changes are not always easy for them. It is easier for us to adapt to their life than for them to adapt to our life, home or other objects. Being among their belongings generates an atmosphere of familiarity in which they feel they own their space.
Don’t scold them when they get angry
Growing old is not easy, especially when they realize that they cannot easily do the things they used to do. If something isn’t right, it’s normal for them to feel angry. It is important that caregivers remain calm and patient, giving them time to calm down.
Remember that it is not easy for older people to observe how their minds lose capacity and how their body loses capacity. It frustrates them, and the best thing the companion can do is encourage them and leave no room for frustration.
Find activities they enjoy
Help them feel motivated to achieve them. Maybe they like to listen to music? Then you can program their radio to turn on every morning and listen to their favorite songs.
Keep morale up
Say sweet words to them and remind them how much you love them. Don’t be angry if they don’t do something. Smile at them often, especially if they look sad or tired. Some older people feel bad when they think they are giving their caregivers too much work. Make them understand that this is not the case.
Share with them
Keep in mind that one day they will be gone and you will miss them. Take advantage of this moment and share pleasant moments, tell them a joke and anecdotes. Make them happy with your visits.
In addition to these tips, consider celebrating their birthday, let them blow out the candles, give them a gift with lots of love. Take pictures with them and tell them how beautiful they are.
How to support in old age: empathy is the key
The most important thing you can keep in mind is that if at any point you don’t know how to act in a certain situation, step into their shoes for a second.
Imagine that you are the one who has become an elderly person, and you have lost some of your cognitive functions, or maybe you are feeling bad, and ask yourself: what treatment would you like to receive?
The answer to this question will be how you should act with these special beings who have already given us everything in their life and who are just waiting for a little love in return.
