5 Ways to Improve Quality of Life for the Elderly

1. Battling Loneliness

Research from Age UK shows that persistent loneliness can have a significant negative impact on well-being and quality of life. The study showed that 24% of people over 50 feel lonely some of the time and they’re more likely to feel lonely if they do not have someone to open up to, are widowed, in poor health, are unable to do the things they want or live alone.

Regular communication and interaction for someone who is lonely or isolated is crucial and as we become older, we can feel lonelier as we lose people or lose touch and our family may live far away or have busy lives that means they don’t visit as much.

Live in care Surrey can provide an important lifeline to somebody who is lonely – providing company on around the clock continual basis. This interaction and companionship could make all the difference to someone who is lonely.

2. Mobility

Losing mobility or elements of mobility can be difficult and take away independence – our ability to complete tasks of daily living such as getting around the home, washing, and dressing ourselves, toileting or eating. Losing that independence can be frustrating but obtaining physiotherapy to help with movement or live in care to help with daily tasks can make all the difference in making life easier and our carers will ensure you are treated with dignity and help you retain your independence where you can.

3. Familiar Environment

According to data from Alzheimer’s Research UK, 1 in 14 people over 65 and 1 in 6 people over 80 have dementia with symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, problems with speech and understanding. As symptoms progress, somebody living with dementia will require increased care and support to keep themselves safe and looked after.

Providing this additional support can be demanding for a family carer, and you may want to explore routes for more support. Live in care could be the ideal option as it means that somebody living with dementia can remain in familiar surroundings in their own home where they can see family whenever they want to visit. Their own home will be where they have built memories and remaining there will help keep these strong.

4. Health and Wellbeing

Looking after our health is important at any age and how we live our lives can affect our health later in life. Not smoking, reducing our alcohol intake, eating a balanced diet, and keeping active can all contribute to us leading healthier longer lives.

About half of lifelong smokers die prematurely, excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to physical and mental health issues and can accelerate the onset of conditions associated with age. Keeping active has been identified as one of the key factors in overall health related quality or life in older people.

5. Comfortable Environment

It is important to help regulate temperature during the winter and summer months. Winter can often see additional deaths due to a prevalence of winter illnesses, trips and falls due to ice and homes not being warm enough due to expensive heating bills. During summer, it can become too hot and without proper ventilation, a cooling fan and proper hydration then heat exhaustion or heatstroke can be a risk for older people.