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23 Jun 2017

[Video] What Is Senior Companion Care?

   

Topics: Senior Health

 
Are you worried that your senior parents are lonely? Forty-three percent of seniors say they feel lonely on a regular basis, so your worries aren’t unfounded. While you spend as much time with your parents as you can, you can’t always be there. Senior companion care can help your parents feel less lonely when you can’t be with them. Here’s an overview of senior companion care.

Loneliness Among Seniors

As people get older, their social circles shrink. Your parents may have had a lot of friends and acquaintances when they were younger, but it’s hard to maintain a large social circle. Retirement makes it hard to stay in touch with friendly coworkers, and health problems, including mobility issues, can leave seniors confined to their homes and unable to socialize as easily as before.

If your parents are feeling lonely, you may notice they talk non-stop when you visit. People do this to make up for the time they’ve spent alone. On the other hand, some lonely people become more isolated. Your parents may push you away or not make an effort to talk to you. If you notice that your parents’ behaviour has changed, they may be feeling the effects of loneliness. Senior companion care is a great way to help them feel better.

Companion Care Options

Senior companion care is a service that offers emotional support and companionship. It’s meant for seniors who are fairly healthy, but who need a little companionship to remain independent.

Professional companion caregivers provide this service to seniors. Caregivers can provide a variety of companionship services, depending on your parents’ needs. Companion care can be as simple as coming over to your parents’ house for an afternoon of conversation. It can also include activities that friends would do together. For example, companion caregivers can help your parents with fun hobbies, like board games or knitting.

Companion caregivers can also help with some daily tasks if your parents need assistance. This can include things like helping with the grocery shopping or other household chores or errands. Additionally, it can also include arranging transportation and helping your parents get to their appointments. 

Initially, your parents may have some concerns about getting a companion. They may worry that they’ll get a different caregiver every time, or that they won’t like their caregiver. Home care agencies work to continually send the same caregivers, so your parents can form real relationships with their caregivers. If your parents don’t get along with a caregiver, they can always request a new one.

Benefits of Companion Care

There are many benefits to using senior companion care for your parents. A major benefit is that your parents will feel less lonely. When you’re away, and your kids are at school, your parents will have friendly caregivers to spend time with.

When seniors aren’t lonely, they’re healthier. Social isolation in seniors is linked to long-term illnesses like arthritis or chronic lung disease. Being lonely also contributes to poor cognitive performance, and an added risk of dementia. Loneliness is even linked to high blood pressure and depression. Senior companion care means you can have peace of mine about your parents’ overall health and wellbeing.

Senior companion care can also reduce the stress on you and other family members. When your parents rely on you for all their social needs, you can feel like you’re under a lot of pressure. Companion care helps expand your parents’ social circle so they’re not solely relying on you and other family members. They’ll have a friendly companion to chat and do activities with and the family can enjoy quality visits with their loved one.

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Tennille Kerrigan

Tenille is the president of Senior Helpers Canada, the premier franchise that delivers on what families and their loved ones need most. She has bachelor’s degree in business administration from York University, and has over 10 years of experience as a business owner and director. With Senior Helpers, our franchisees provide the professionalism and expert care that families and their aging loved ones require.

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