Season of Hidden Struggles—How You Can Foster a Safe and Happy Winter for Your Loved Ones?

While we bask in the beauty of a winter wonderland, we must remember that this season is especially challenging for the seniors in our lives. If you have an aging parent, you need exercise extra care and awareness during this time of year so that you help him or her remain safe and healthy, especially because of seniors and depression. Here are some things you can do to ensure a great winter for the senior in your life and your family as a whole:

• Help keep their home safe and well-maintained. If your parents still live alone, or have in-home care, you can take numerous steps ensure their environment remains safe during the winter months to avoid seniors and depression. Replace smoke detector batteries, check furnace and chimney maintenance, inspect stairs and porches for loose boards, and develop a plan for snow removal or other lawn/driveway care. Don’t wait for an accident; instead, be the agent of preparedness.
• Anticipate challenges and offer solutions proactively. Put yourself in your parent’s shoes. Does he or she feel uncomfortable driving in bad weather? How will your loved one get groceries or make it to doctors’ appointments during poor weather conditions? Seniors often go without crucial needs during winter months because they don’t want to ask for help. Remember that what seems like simple tasks for you may be insurmountable challenges for them. If you get ahead of potential issues with constructive and well-framed solutions, you encourage independence and foster dignity.
• Help prepare for emergencies. A stray ice storm or heavy rain wreaks havoc on many seniors. Help safeguard against the unexpected by ensuring that your loved one maintains adequate amounts of medication on hand, and check that he or she has the necessary supplies for emergency situations.
• Remember to foster and encourage good self-care. Winter often isolates seniors, and this trend contributes to feelings of seniors and depression, loneliness, and a tendency to neglect personal well-being. When you can, include your parent in social events, or help him or her get out and maintain social relationships. Likewise, encourage engaging participation in holidays, church, or other important activities. Seniors want the same feelings of inclusion that we all do, and your support will mean the world to your parent.

This winter, your care and consideration will make an incredible difference for the senior in your life. Small steps, along with commonsense strategies, give your family a great starting point for a safe and happy season. BlueSea Care encourages you to extend the spirit of communal support so that all of the seniors in our lives enjoy their own winter wonderlands.