As the adage goes, “Change is the one constant in life.” That said, no matter how old a person gets, change can still be hard, especially if that change is perceived as something lost or something not being as good as it used to be. Senior home care providers can help with a variety of services and care options.
Why Managing Change Well Improves Overall Health
Since changes are always right around the corner, how your loved one manages change can make a huge difference in the quality of her life. Building resilience and healthy coping techniques can help the body avoid the negative health aspects of too much stress.
Stress can lead to multiple health issues, including heart disease, mental health disorders, and even irritations like rashes and twitches. All of those reactions to stress will lower your loved one’s quality of life, so learning to cope with changes, especially those that are not felt as positive changes, is an important part of your loved one’s well-being.
Five Tips for Managing Change
A senior home care companion can help your loved one navigate the changes in her life by providing support, a listening ear, and assistance. If there is a large change looming or one that just happened, a senior home care provider can help your loved one learn how to use one or many of these coping techniques so that she doesn’t become overwhelmed by the changes facing her.
1. Honesty
If your loved one can be honest about what she’s struggling with regarding the upcoming changes, both you and her will be able to navigate them more easily. Sometimes, it can be tough for an elderly loved one to name what she’s worried about, so feel free to ask lots of questions and see if you can help her discover why she’s struggling with an upcoming change. You both might find the reason has a fairly simple solution.
2. A Little Bit at A Time
Some changes can seem so big and all-consuming that your loved one might become incredibly overwhelmed and thus unable to make any change at all. For example, if a health issue requires a lifestyle change regarding her diet, your loved one might think it’s too hard to implement all of those changes, so she doesn’t change anything.
This is where a senior home care provider can help your loved one start with baby steps and make a slow but consistent progression toward the change.
3. Look for the Positive
At first, it might be impossible to find the positive in some changes for your loved one. If you suggest she look into a senior home care provider to help with transportation because she shouldn’t drive anymore, she may just see the negative. If you can point out the positives of this change (she’ll never need to scrape ice when it’s 30 below again), it might help her accept it more easily.
4. Acceptance
Some things just change, and there’s not a lot that can be done about it. Helping your loved one to accept the things she cannot change will reduce her stress levels of a hopeless battle.
5. Gratitude
Remind your loved one about the things she can be grateful for – a warm home, family that loves her, blue skies, etc. Whatever she is going through, there are always things to be grateful for. Focusing on them might help her manage the change better.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Hollywood, FL, please contact the caring staff at Actify Home Care today at (954) 902-6049
Actify Home Care provides exceptional home and facility care for anyone in Broward County, including Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Parkland, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, Pembroke Pines, Tamarac, Coral Springs, Miramar, Florida, and surrounding areas.
We offer services all around the South Florida area, if you have questions for us or don’t see your area listed just ask, we’d be happy to help. Contact us today!
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