Are you a family caregiver for an ageing parent? You may notice how sometimes stress and depression can descend like heavy clouds over your loved one’s mood and outlook, often because of social isolation, mobility issues, or even vision and hearing problems.
Being unable to complete even simple daily tasks strips seniors of their own sense of self-reliance and can darken even the sunniest days. If you’re looking for creative and fun ways to brighten their spirits, don’t miss these 6 clever ideas:
Go on a Bike Ride
Have you heard of the 20-year-old Scottish student who gives bike rides to residents in nursing homes? You might not be able to offer an exhilarating thrill ride on a custom chariot, but a tandem bike ride, or walk in a wheelchair outside in the fresh air could do wonders for your parent’s spirits. Jaunts through natural settings have also been shown in several studies to help boost attentiveness and happiness levels.
Try Yoga Together
The benefits of yoga practice for older adults continue to be revealed as research is discovering how it can help lower blood pressure, reduce stress, strengthen muscles and bones, as well as refine balance and coordination skills. In addition to the gentle flowing stretches and body positions, yoga incorporates deep breathing and mindful meditation to help your loved one feel less stressed, more self-aware, and happier. Check with a local studio or senior centre for available yoga classes, or stream free, online instructional yoga videos with Youtube.com.
Play Nostalgic Music
A throwback to younger days can help boost the spirit and stimulate memory and cognitive functioning; this is especially helpful for ageing parents with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Find out what your loved one’s favourite tunes or singers were back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and create a playlist just for them. Free services like Pandora and Spotify offer troves of music in online libraries which you can play from a computer or mobile device wherever you are.
Upgrade Their Mobility Aid
Do mobility issues have your loved one down in the dumps? Any loss of independence can take its toll on feelings of confidence and purposefulness. An upgrade to a mobility aid may be just the thing to put a little pep in their step. Consider painting their walker their favourite colour (like this woman did), or add fun and useful accessories to their wheelchair, walker, or cane. Check out walker accessories here >
Make It a Date
A lot of stress and anxiety which accompanies getting older stems from a lack of consistency or stability in day-to-day happenings, i.e. having to find a ride everytime you need to go to the pharmacy, or not being able to easily get out to see friends or family. Setting up a regularly scheduled date – whether it’s to run errands or grab a coffee – offers structure and reliability to your loved one’s life, helping ease up the frustration and anxiety that might be getting them down.
Help Them Clear House
The fear of falling is a very real and gripping anxiety which many seniors face, especially those who have experienced a fall before. Want to help your loved one feel safer and more willing to get around their own home? Help them clean house by removing clutter like large, unused furniture that simply takes up space, and by clearing away trip hazards (i.e. nail down turned up corners of carpets, group together cords on the ground with twist ties, etc). Install helpful rails, grab bars, and lighting where appropriate as well like in the bathroom and around stairways.
Even small acts of kindness like sharing a new hobby with your ageing mom or dad can take their day from the same ol’ thing to new, exciting, and worth talking about. What are other ways that you help boost your ageing parent’s mood?
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