Feeling isolated can make life more difficult for many seniors. There may be signs that lead to loneliness that may impact you or an older adult you care about. Here is how you can spot signs of loneliness for seniors.
Understanding the Signs of Loneliness for Seniors
Unusual Purchasing Habits
Seniors that find themselves shopping and buying more than they used to may be doing so in an attempt to fill in the gaps left by decreased social connections. Acquiring more material items can serve as a means of breaking up the monotony of a life that is spent with few other people or activities outside their homes. However, many seniors have limited or no income. This can make excessive spending on items they do not need an even more problematic habit. Making an effort to help seniors find ways to become involved in social activities to the extent that they are able to can provide a healthier way to manage this desire.
Lack of Communication
Many seniors experiencing loneliness tend to call family members more frequently than they used to. They may also seek out more social activities to participate in. Some seniors may feel the need to put in more effort to increase communication. However, others may actually take the opposite approach. Seniors that have found that increased communication has not helped them feel less lonely may turn toward isolating themselves from the people they care about. This is in an attempt to avoid feeling worse. Although, this sign of loneliness for seniors is unlikely to have the effect they want it to.
Sleeping Problems
Seniors experiencing loneliness may also have trouble falling and staying asleep. This can lead to unusual tiredness throughout the day and difficulty completing everyday tasks. This makes thriving while living independently more challenging than it should be based on their current physical and mental capabilities. Finding ways to help seniors have better sleep can significantly improve the overall quality of their lives.
Increased Anger and Frustration
Loneliness does not only come from a lack of the physical presence of the people seniors care about. Older adults that feel their opinions are being ignored or they are being left out of discussions about their futures altogether may feel a higher level of isolation from the people in their lives, even if they are not seeing less of them than usual.
Frequently Losing People
Immediate family members may spend plenty of time with their older loved ones. However, many seniors lose other people in their lives more frequently than younger adults. Older neighbors, friends from church or other social activities, classmates, and siblings near their age can mean that frequently losing people in their lives can significantly increase their loneliness over time. Immediate family members may not even know these people. However, the seniors in your life may feel significantly impacted by the loss of friends and loved ones. Simply having people move away can often have a more significant impact on seniors than it does on younger adults.
At Senior Helpers of Charlotte, we are here to help older adults throughout Charlotte, Pineville, Concord, as well as the surrounding areas thrive while living in their own homes for as long as possible. Contact us today to learn more about how our in-home care solutions may benefit you or the senior in your life!