Four Tips for Formulating a Stress Relief Plan for Your Senior
June 24, 2021
Stress takes a huge toll on your senior, both on a physical level and on an emotional level. It’s vital that she finds a way to manage her stress properly so that she’s able to maintain a high quality of life for as long as she can.
Check Her Diet
You might not think that what your senior is eating has much to do with dealing with stress, but it truly does. If your elderly family member is eating lots of empty calories or is not eating a healthy diet, her body is even more stressed than it should be. Altering her diet won’t completely get rid of stress for your senior, but it will give her the nutritional foundation that she needs in order to be as healthy as she can be in that moment.
Check Her Activity Levels
Being more physically active helps not just on a physical level, but it also has mental and emotional benefits. Your senior’s doctor should clear her for exercise before she starts moving more, just to be sure that she’s aware of any limitations that she should consider. When your senior starts to exercise more regularly, her body releases endorphins and other chemicals that can help her to balance her moods and battle stress.
Help Her to Engage in Activities She Loves
When people are stressed, they don’t always have the energy or the desire to do the things that they love to do. That’s ironic, because engaging in those activities more often can help your elderly family member to manage her stress levels more effectively. Whether your senior loves to read, work on puzzles, or do something else, help her to find ways to keep doing those activities.
Encourage Her to Reach out to People
Many aging adults find that they feel considerably more stress when they’re not able to be as socially engaged as they want to be. Helping your senior to spend time around other people can go a long way toward helping her to feel less stressed in general. It can help to have elderly care providers available, not just to help with tasks that need assistance, but also for companionship.
Managing stress effectively is an ongoing process, not something that your senior is going to be able to do once and then forget about. That’s why you’ll need to help her to find what works and build routines around those solutions.
If you or your loved one is looking for Home Care or Placement Services in San Jose, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care.
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