Creative ways to beat loneliness in elders The world is slowly swinging back to its old normal and people are slowly stepping out of their havens (of course, amid the safety precautions). While this is good news for many age groups, it does not really make any difference in one age group - senior citizens. Why is that? Being a valuable contributor of the society for almost 5-6 decades, seniors should be in a position to experience the crown of life to its fullest. The sad truth is that most of the seniors could not really see much difference between their pre and post covid days, in terms of interactions and social connections.
In a country with 120 million people above 60, India should find new and creative ways for its senior citizens to live a quality life. In fact, most of these seniors live alone and have been following the social distancing even before the pandemic. Categorizing the reasons behind what leads a senior to live by himself or herself is a mammoth task as each senior will have a different story behind this choice. But they all speak the same language - loneliness and seek only one solution - the best way to get rid of it. How lockdown has contributed to loneliness of seniors?
The restrictions imposed on almost all societies across the globe have severely impacted the social life of all age groups. The impact was severe and the outcome of it was not liked by many. According to the Global Health Research and Policy, approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling older adults are considered to be socially isolated, and 43% of them report feeling lonely. That is almost half of the senior population in each country. What makes loneliness in seniors a serious issue? Human beings are social animals by nature and when it's denied each of them react in a different manner. Being alone is a way of life and it is absolutely okay to be alone every now and then. In fact, being alone by choice does more good than you could imagine. But, loneliness in seniors is a serious issue by all measures. It is considered as the major reason behind many mental as well as physical health issues faced by seniors today. Let’s take a look at the possible health issues faced by seniors as a result of prolonged loneliness or isolation. Creative ways for seniors to get rid of loneliness: Learning a music instrument or an art form can be the befitting solutions for seniors to address their loneliness issue. Here are a few creative suggestions you can lay your hands upon. ● Express yourself: Creativity can be the perfect cure for many issues in life. Try to fine tune your creative nerve by exploring various creative expressions to find your choice. If you have long and slender fingers, go with guitar or if you like to get your hands dirty start painting your way to express yourself. ● Learn more about creativity: If you cannot find a good fit to express your creativity, remember learning more about creative stuff is a bliss. Invest your time to know more about literature classics, rock bands or painting forms. Remember, if you cannot become a cook, you can still become someone who enjoys the platter full of deliciousness. ● Become a life coach: Who can deny but heed the wise-words from someone who has experienced the high and lows of life, all of them. Keep your life-time learnings, your knowledge, and the lesson on the table and see people slowly buying them. You can write a book or you can always leverage social media to showcase or establish yourself as a life-coach.
● Start a community of your own: Like-minded people grow stronger relationships and share a deeper connection. Why wait for someone to direct you towards the like-minded groups? Start a community on your own on social media and invest your time to manage it. Remember, you don’t need any skills but a heart to express to drag people towards you. Most of the mental health issues in seniors today are attributed to loneliness. Starting from dissociative disorder to depression, loneliness is the prime reason for many mental health issues and you need to find your way to fight it. If you are someone who is looking for an unified place where you can express yourself, pursue your hobbies, learn art, and become a part of a community of like-minded people, look out for assisted living facilities as they offer everything for a senior to age healthy. Athulya assisted living is one of its kind luxurious senior living home in Chennai. Book a visit to witness the kind of lifestyle seniors enjoy here.