As your parents get older, it can become more and more difficult to see them slow down and no longer live like they once did. They might be less active than they were at an earlier stage in life, and this can understandably cause you some concern.
The fact of the matter is that it is important for seniors to remain as active as possible for as long as they can. Engaging in enjoyable activities throughout the day is not only good for their physical health and wellbeing but also for their mental health.
If you have noticed your aging parent slowing down and being less active throughout the day, you might be wondering what you can do to encourage them to do more. While you never want to push them to do things that they aren’t comfortable with, encouraging them to take part in activities that they enjoy can help them more than you know.
With that in mind, here are three ways in which you can help your aging parent to be more active.
1. Arrange Daytime Care
One reason why your parent is finding themselves doing less during the day might very well be the fact that you and most of their loved ones are busy with their own lives during the day. When you have a full time job and perhaps a family too, you likely have less time than you would like to help your parent to get out and about throughout the week.
In such cases, it is worth considering signing your parent up for day care for seniors. This is the sort of program that will allow your parent to socialize with others of their own age and engage in activities. Look to see if there is such an option in your local area for your parent to enjoy a few times a week, or even every day if they so wish.
2. Help Them Out at Home
It can be difficult for your aging loved one to accept help of any kind when it comes to everyday matters. However, they might be doing fewer things that they enjoy throughout the day because they are taking more time to handle things like household chores and the like.
You certainly don’t want your loved one to be spending all their time managing matters at home when they should be enjoying themselves instead. In order to help free up their time so that they can do more of the activities they love, offer them more help at home. You might even consider hiring a housekeeper to come and clean up for them a few times each week if you are unable to do so yourself.
3. Listen to What They Want
By and far, the best thing that you can do for your aging parent is listen to what it is they want to be doing with their time. They might be reluctant to be completely honest with you out of fear that you will think them weaker than they are or less capable of looking after themselves. However, letting them know that it is safe to be honest with you about how they are feeling is an important step to helping your aging parent be more active.
