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For most adult children, it can be worrying and sometimes frustrating to see a parent give up on life during their later years. After all, children love to see their parents happy and healthy. What can caregivers do when an elderly parent gives up on life?
When an elderly parent gives up on life, caregivers can help by involving them in fun activities. Scheduling regular exercise is also important for a senior’s overall health. When in doubt, seek medical advice from a doctor to ensure that your parent’s mood isn’t caused by a more severe condition.
Below, caregivers will find out how to help maintain an aging parent’s mood and health to keep the momentum for life going. I will also briefly explain why elderly parents may show signs of giving up on life.
How To Care for Your Elderly Parents
Caregivers look after many daily affairs, and they start taking responsibility for aging parents. When one parent shows signs that they are beginning to give up, there are several things that can help them start embracing life again.
The key is to try and help seniors find joy and meaning in their lives. Giving your parents things to look forward to can help them find the spark to enjoy a life worth living to the fullest. This way, you can get your elderly parents to stop being lazy and take charge of their lives. What to Do if You Have a Lazy Elderly Parent
Plan Activities for Them
The elderly have lived most of their best years being active in the community. After working for decades, the years after retirement can become mundane if there is nothing to do.
Once the days begin to look the same, older adults may begin to feel that there isn’t much to live for anymore. If you notice that a parent starts complaining about being bored or not showing much interest in doing anything, plan activities that involve them. These can be activities at home or out with their friends.
You can consider fun activities like:
- Trying out a new cafe in town.
- Recreating an old hobby.
- Attending an arts and crafts class.
- Joining a book club.
- A puzzle or trivia game.
Trivia games are fun for seniors because it encourages them to exercise their intellectual muscles. These activities are mentally stimulating and allow them to recall events or knowledge they have picked up in their lives.
Why not get the American Trivia Game by Outset Media for a fun family evening? This card game features 1,000 questions you can ask spanning five categories–general trivia, history, geography, pop culture, and sports. Playing this game benefits the elderly because it helps sharpen cognitive skills, and they might even learn something new!
Schedule Regular Exercise
Our physical abilities decline as we age–bones start to ache, muscles tire out quicker, and we begin to stall our movements. If not managed well, older people might think that life isn’t all that great now that they can’t move around like they used to.
Thankfully, decreased mobility can be combated with regular exercise. Encourage your elderly parent to engage in physical activity so that they can experience these benefits:
- Better cognitive function.
- Builds stamina and maintains balance.
- Improves immunity.
- Retains muscle mass.
- Improved overall mood.
A healthier body means an aging parent can function autonomously without extra help. (Harvard: Walking, other exercise helps seniors stay mobile, independent) Exercise also prevents long-term injuries like joint and muscle pains that interfere with day-to-day activities. When health problems start to pop up and recur, seniors may feel like giving up on life because of a debilitating situation.
To start, you will need to look for appropriate exercise activities for elderly adults. The best exercise for adults above 60 years old are:
- Walking
- Water aerobics
- Chair yoga
- Cycling
Cycling is an excellent form of light exercise for seniors. With cycling, the larger muscles in the legs work together, increasing blood flow and oxygen to the heart and lungs and improving organ function. It is also a low-impact activity, so joints in the knees and ankles will not feel too strained.
Elderly parents won’t be required to leave the house with this BARWING Stationary Spin Exercise Bike.
This indoor cycling bike is meant for home use and has a stable support structure and easy assembly. The seat angle is adjustable to suit your parent’s posture, making for a comfortable cycling experience.
Seek Medical Advice
When a parent begins showing disinterest in activities they used to enjoy or is unhappy all the time, you can seek advice from a doctor to determine the cause and treatment. Sometimes, mood changes in aging adults could signify a more severe disorder.
According to Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Vonetta Dotson, a decrease in the ability to derive joy from activities that used to be enjoyable is called anhedonia. Anhedonia is not typical of the aging process, and it could be a symptom underlying the following disorders:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Depression
- Schizophrenia
- Dementia
Talk to their doctor if you notice that your aging parent is constantly feeling down in the dumps. Catching any illness in the early stages can improve the chances of successful treatment. Also, doctors can prescribe the best treatment plan and refer seniors to a mental health professional if needed.
Why Do Elderly Parents Give Up on Life?
It is difficult for caretakers when the elderly start showing indications that they are giving up on life. However, this situation isn’t uncommon.
Official studies conducted in the Netherlands and Belgium on assisted suicide for the elderly show that tiredness or weariness of life was a major proponent of the elderly who wanted to give up living.
Another study found that certain life events could trigger feelings of helplessness in the elderly. In these scenarios, older adults cannot accept or change the situation they find themselves in, which results in them progressively giving up on life. Such scenarios include:
- Being widowed
- Loneliness
- Being dependent on others
- Feeling like a victim
- Wanting to be useful
To bypass their emotions, the seniors in the above study thought that ceasing to live was the only positive solution to their problems in life.
The best way to help aging parents cope with their problems is to be there for them emotionally and look after their physical health. Getting them involved in activities helps them beat loneliness and wayward thoughts, so they will have something to look forward to each day.
Conclusion
You can do several things to help an aging parent who seems ready to give up on life. This includes:
- Planning fun activities for them to enjoy by themselves or with family.
- Having them exercise regularly to improve health and mood.
- Consulting a doctor to make sure there are no underlying health conditions.
These solutions revolve around helping the elderly look forward to events that they can embrace in life. After all, we love our parents and want them to be around for as long as possible.
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