How Can You Use Older Americans Month to Ensure Your Senior Is Living a Full Life?
May 10, 2018
Every May 1 marks the beginning of Older Americans Month and the yearly theme encourages older Americans and the people who love them to celebrate in exciting ways.
The theme for 2018 is Engage at Every Age, which becomes an invitation to think about different ways you and the rest of your family can engage with your senior family member.
Look for Ways to Volunteer Together
Volunteering together is a fantastic way to spend time with your elderly family member and to help her to feel a sense of purpose. Some aging adults feel as if they aren’t needed in volunteer situations, but there is a lot of knowledge and caring that your elderly family member can share with her community. Volunteering is a perfect way to do that.
Re-evaluate What Your Senior Might Need
Your senior’s needs can change over time and Older Americans Month is a good time to sit down and look at how her life is changing right now. She may be having more difficulty with household tasks, for instance. This can mean that it’s taking more time and more energy for your elderly family member to keep up. Hiring senior care providers to take over those tasks allows your senior to conserve her energy for the activities she really wants to do.
Try Some New Hobbies Together
Hobbies are another way that you and your elderly family member can spend quality time together. Find something that you both enjoy or try something brand new to both of you. You don’t have to stick with something, either. If you find that neither of you enjoys the hobby you pick, try something else. It doesn’t have to be a complicated hobby, either. Something as simple as reading together can be a lot of fun.
Talk to Your Aging Adult about What Would Help Her Feel Happier
This is also a prime time to sit down with your elderly family member and talk to her about what she feels is missing for her. Ask her what would help her to feel happier, healthier, and overall more connected to life. She might have some ideas that never would have occurred to you if you hadn’t taken the time to ask.
Because Older Americans Month puts such a positive emphasis on aging and on engaging at every age, it’s the perfect time to look at how well your senior is doing and what you could do together to help her do even better.