Mindful of Mental Health for Seniors

Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Mindful of Mental Health for Seniors

May is Mental Health Month

“The Prairie Lakes (CCU) critical care unit not only cares for the critical physical needs within our community, but also the mental and emotional needs experienced by the unbiased age or race of those we serve.   As a critical care staff, it is important to us that the patients we care for with mental and emotional health needs receive the compassionate understanding of their need for healing.”  - Danielle Daniels, Katie Shea and Chloe Pearson, CCU Staff

Article by Kari Johnston, CEO of Human Service Agency:

Being in quarantine is hard on everyone. Families are getting sick of each other. Kids want to take off on their bikes without worry about stopping to mingle with friends at a park. It’s just a different concept to get used to. For mental health providers, helping those in quarantine rubs against everything we normally suggest people do in order to get mentally healthy:   get out, exercise, socialize.  Senior citizens have had a particular difficult time during the pandemic. They have to worry about their physical health. This is likely their number one priority given all medical information indicates they are at high risk for complication from COVID-19. The way to secure safety with their medical health is to give up the very things that have kept them mentally healthy: don’t go to church, don’t see your friends and grandkids, stay inside as much as you can. This also means not going to funerals, visiting friends in the hospital, or participating in senior activities at assisted and independent living facilities.

So what can seniors do? If a person lives alone, this can be particularly difficult but keeping your mind and body moving is helpful. Staying connected to family and friends through social media, telephone or socially distant window/ patio visits is helpful. Keep your mind occupied by doing crossword puzzles, reading or writing letters is also a great way to spend time and stay mentally active.  Completing a jigsaw puzzle or putting together lego sets can also be enjoyable and keep a person entertained.  Journaling is extremely helpful to our mental health and creates a story for your family.  Seniors can benefit from writing the story of their life: where they were born, life events they remember, how life has changed, birth of kids and grandkids are all entertaining stories for family members and is therapeutic for the writer.

Keeping our bodies in motion is also helpful. Leg lifts, walking around the house or apartment, vacuuming and stretching are all ways to keep bodies moving that are less risky. Consult your doctor or call a physical therapist to discuss physical activity your body can tolerate without posing a fall risk.

If you know someone who is elderly: check on them and do so often. Ask them questions about anything just to get them talking. Be interested in whatever they have to share, even if they seem to be complaining. Take them magazines, puzzles, crossword puzzles, books, crafts or invest in a “grandparents journal” that will allow them to write their memoirs. You will cherish this later. And above all, always keep in mind, someday we will all walk in their shoes.

This series was originally published in The Public Opinion on May 11, 2020.

Written by Kari Johnston, CEO of Human Service Agency
Last modified on Tuesday, May 19, 2020