Supporting Seniors with Alzheimers
Watching an elderly relative suffer cognitive decline in old age can be challenging. The good news is that many senior care communities have introduced programs to help struggling patients and their caregivers. Programs like these are often called meaningful engagement, which refers to the company’s relationship with its clients, how it helps them stay socially connected, and the specific activities it provides for them.
Supporting Seniors with Alzheimer’s – 5 Key Components of meaningful engagement
Supporting Seniors
Engaging seniors in meaningful activities can help to lower the risk of developing dementia. Here are five key components to support seniors who have dementia or Alzheimer’s:
Exercise and General Fitness:
Feeling your best and being able to move as freely as possible is vital to wellness. Therefore, fitness is an important aspect of anyone’s life. This is also the case for the elderly. Making sure that they take part in appropriate exercise is paramount to their social and cognitive well-being. This becomes especially important when dealing with someone suffering from dementia, whom one may have been exercising with in the past.
A Sense of Community:
A sense of belonging and community helps to anchor someone in the present. This is especially true for the elderly. They may be afflicted with cognitive decline, but they still have needs, desires, and wants that give them purpose. For those living in St. Louis, St. Louis memory care services can help with a sense of community.
Sensory Perception:
Touch and sound are also important to seniors, as are sights, smells, and other senses that are meaningful to them.
Meaningful Engagement:
Staying in touch with friends and family and being active in their routines are ways to maintain social engagement. This is important not only because it helps people feel included in activities but also because it helps combat loneliness.
Cognitive Abilities:
The importance of engaging in meaningful activities cannot be emphasized enough. This is especially true when dealing with someone who has dementia. Provide entertaining ways to engage the brain, such as crosswords, board games, and puzzles. These activities can help the elderly stay engaged as they would have previously.
Key Takeaway
As a result, the Senior Care Community looks to offer opportunities that appeal to seniors and provide meaning for them. It is important to remember that meaningful engagement helps not only the seniors who need help but also their family members and caregivers.
The Alzheimer’s Association outlines how to change or adapt activities so that seniors suffering from cognitive decline can still enjoy them. Research has shown that seniors with cognitive decline have an increased need for social engagement, even if they no longer remember their positions in these activities.
For the elder’s cognitive decline to be slowed or reversed, it may be necessary for a caregiver or relative to participate in an exercise program. Senior living communities often suggest these kinds of things as well. If you have difficulty with some exercises or other activities due to ageing, you should consult your doctor about what age-appropriate activity is for you.
