Elderly people are delicate and valuable assets to the society and the family. According to Census 2011, India has more than 104 million older people (60 years and above), approximately 8.6% of total population. The female population amongst the elderly population is more than the male population.
A caregiver is the one who provides proper care to needy ones. In this article we are going to talk about the elderly people, and how the young generation can help them provide regular and consistent care, love, and support to lead a healthy and comfortable life.
Spending time together
The elderly often feels disconnected from the daily happenings around the house or the family. This happens because they lack the energy to carry out basic activities and are sometimes unable to contribute to the family financially. However, the elderly is fun to be around with, as they carry a lot of wisdom and stories full of past experiences and struggles and quiet often love to share the same with their young ones. The youth can spend time with them by understanding their needs and comfort points and discomfort points, and avoid them to feel lonely, misunderstood and a liability.
Assistance in daily activities
As we grow older, our capacity to do certain things might reduce and the same happens with the elderly people as their body grow weak. Therefore, a little bit of help from the caregivers can help them go a long way. Following are some examples of how a caregiver can assist the elderly in meeting their basic needs:
- Bathing and washing up
- Paying Bills and getting Medical Appointments
- Getting medical subscriptions/refilling medical subscriptions
- Shopping and Preparing food
- Organizing their closet/their stuff
- Providing Transportation
Providing Mental and emotional support
Elderly people, when become weak, require a lot of love, care and hope to keep going strong. Quite often they get disheartened and feel neglected and lonely and often feel that they might not live longer due to ailments and body discomfort. This also push them to depression. During such times, they require some reassurance and positivity to gain some emotional strength and understand that all of this is a part of their lives and everyone is with them in this.
Special care on special occasions
In order to boost the confidence of the elderly, caregivers can also make the best use of the festivals and occasions that come along their way. Be it a birthday, anniversary or a party, elderly can bring a lot of fun and fare to the group and light the place with their involvement. Such occasions can serve as good opportunities to bond and celebrate and feel like a family.
