The Benefits Of Having Family Nearby As You Age

The geriatric population needs care and support through this sensitive phase. They can be emotionally, physically, and psychologically unstable due to many aging factors. That’s why we must provide them with the necessary care.

One of the necessary things we must provide to them is the support they get from us as their family. Even if they’re checked in on home care for older adults, they still need the presence of their family.

There have been many benefits observed with geriatric individuals if they have the support of their family. Here are some benefits your elderly loved ones can get if you live close to them, whether in a home care facility or their own home.

Improved Emotional Well-Being

Seniors are very emotional individuals. They can be easily entertained but also get depressed regarding their relationship with their family, particularly their children.

We feel comfortable with each other; we feel like we’re home if we are with someone special to us. Therefore, you have to consider living near your senior family member so that you can continue providing them with the support they need from you.

That’s why it’s highly advised that when choosing homecare packages for your senior family member, you should consider a facility near your home. Or, consider moving near the facility if it permits you.

Longer Life Expectancy

It has been noted that if a person has continuous family support increases a person’s life expectancy. It’s in the sense of having someone you can call whenever you face a health crisis and who takes care of you when you’re weak.

Additionally, having family near you as you grow old means that there are people who ensure you are well taken care of, are living a healthy lifestyle, and look into improving your current health status, especially if you have special needs or any debilitating illness.

Strengthen Their Immune System

Seniors with regular communication and bonding with their family members show a better immune system than socially isolated ones. One research concluded that older adults who are socially isolated, especially from their family members, showed a weakened immune system.

Social isolation leads to loneliness, like being away from our loved ones. Losing a sense of connection with the people we love and care about can alter our world perception.

For instance, loneliness was noticed to cause changes in our immune system’s cells by promoting inflammation which is vital for our body to heal injuries. If you have been away from your senior loved ones for a long time, you should reconnect and help improve their immune system so that they can fight off any illnesses easily.

Results To A Better Mental Health

If you compare two geriatric individuals, one who regularly connects with their family and one who hasn’t been with their family, you’ll notice that the one who has a connection with their family members shows better cognitive functions.

As our loved ones age, we must stay connected with them to assure them that they are loved and valued despite their old age. Older individuals tend to develop self-pity easily, especially if they feel like their family has taken them for granted, which could lead to decreased cognitive functions.

Connecting with them will help ease whatever they feel, such as depression, anxiety, and self-pity. This is also why the care team that takes care of your loved ones should communicate with you and know you on a slightly personal level to better provide the seniors with the emotional support they need.

Creates Happy Memories

As we age, we slowly realize that memories are more important than any material thing. When a person reaches senior age, memories are what they only have to cherish and enjoy as all the material things they have will become irrelevant.

Being with them for almost all of the stages of their senior years will create happy memories not only for them to cherish but also for you. Our presence is more than enough for them to be happy. Therefore, it’s not hard to make them happy.

You will only need to visit them regularly, spend quality time and do the things you normally love to do more than enough to make them happy.

Improve Lifestyle Choices

As mentioned earlier, having a family member constantly looking after a geriatric family member helps one choose a healthier lifestyle, thus increasing one’s life expectancy. It can be due to the family member’s demands or the senior’s personal choices.

Aside from that, older adults with a strong bond and healthy relationship with their loved ones tend to choose to live healthily to live longer to spend more time with their family members still.

You can also provide the right support your loved one needs as their medical provider has advised if you are constantly in contact with your loved one and the team caring for them, ensuring that your family member receives the necessary nutrition, medication, and therapy they need.

In Conclusion

Checking our senior loved ones to a facility or hiring someone to care for them doesn’t mean you’re done with your part as their family. Being a family should continue no matter what or where they are. So, you must stay connected physically and emotionally with your senior loved ones.