Sunday, 06 June 2021

Helping seniors cope with social anxiety following COVID isolation

Since COVID hit, care givers and families with elderly relatives have been doing their utmost to reduce their senior loved ones’ risk of coming into contact with the virus. This has meant keeping them at home and avoiding gatherings, resulting in a significant decrease in social interactions. Now that your elderly relative has been vaccinated, you’ll probably feel a lot more comfortable reintroducing them to the outside world.

Unfortunately, many seniors have become rather used to the quiet COVID life and may now find it challenging and downright anxiety-inducing to get back to ‘normal’.

This is especially true for seniors who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. So, how exactly should you be tackling the situation and working to alleviate your elderly relative’s unease and concern when out and about? Here are a few guidelines.

Start slow

Avoid jumping right back into the social day-to-day activities as if nothing has happened in between. Your loved one is almost certain to be overwhelmed if taken to a bustling grocery store or a chatty, enclosed café. Rather start off slow and visit the quieter, more open spaces, such as a nearby park or simply taking a gentle walk down the road a couple of times each day.

As your loved one gradually becomes more comfortable, you can slowly begin to introduce slightly busier destinations – but be prepared to quickly abort the ‘mission’ if their anxiety presents once again.

Take advantage of ‘good’ days

As all caregivers know, seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s tend to have ‘good’ days and ‘bad’ days. It’s recommended that you do your best to steer clear of any potentially challenging social situations on those ‘bad’ days as success is far less likely when your loved one is already in a poor mental state. Rather hold out for the ‘good’ days and take action to make the most of it when one arrives.

Practice self-care

Just because your elderly relative is more at ease indoors doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get out from time to time! Be sure to call on the help of another caregiver to take over every now and again so that you can venture out, see your other family members and friends, and enjoy a breather.

Remember that proper self-care is just as important as caring for your relative!

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