When your aging family member is less active and involved in her own life than she once was, there’s likely a reason for that. Most commonly what has happened is that changes in her health and in her energy levels have caused her to withdraw a bit. Look for some of these signs to help you determine what’s going on.
She’s not as Socially Active
If you’re already fairly familiar with your senior’s social life, it might be more obvious to you when she’s not visiting friends or participating in community activities as much. Depending on where you live, though, you might not be as familiar with these things as you like. This is when asking questions can help you to get a better picture of what she’s doing.
Her Mood Is Different
Your elderly family member’s moods can also tell you a great deal about how she’s doing. When you talk to her, notice whether she seems tired all the time or whether she seems as if her mood is lower than usual. These smaller clues can help you to notice when her overall mood is dimmer. She may be experiencing lower energy levels than usual, which can be an indication of her emotional state.
Her Activities Have Changed
Try to get a clear picture of what sorts of activities she’s involved in on a daily basis. If she used to meet up with her book club or her knitting circle, ask when she did that last. Having an understanding how often she’s doing those sorts of things now can help you to determine her overall activity levels.
You Don’t Hear as Much about Her Life
If your elderly family member used to share a lot about her life with you but now doesn’t, there might be several reasons for that. Either she’s grown uncomfortable with sharing that information or she’s not doing as much as she used to do. It’s important to do what you can to respectfully determine what the reasons are so that you can help her with whatever you can do within reason.
Having elder care providers helping her can give your senior a chance to be more involved in life. The energy that she saves can go to activities that she really wants to do and having companionship can help immensely. Add to that the fact that they can help to ensure that she’s able to go where she needs to go and elder care providers can make a huge difference for your senior.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED-ONE ARE CONSIDERING ELDER CARE IN CLAYTON, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.