It is a sad reality that one in three older adults experiences feelings of loneliness and isolation, with that having increased over the past six years. If you suspect this applies to your loved ones, be on the lookout for unhealthy coping mechanisms to prevent minor habits from escalating into something bigger.
In Morada Lake Hefner, the staff in our assisted-living community, located just minutes from the edge of beautiful Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City, OK, understand how to identify these signs, utilizing the community as a backdrop for stress-relieving activities and exercise for seniors. Below, we offer our advice on how emotional health changes as a person retires and what signs to look for to support your loved ones.
Finally, discover how our on-site tools can help you respond to a loved one who is struggling and how we can provide personalized support.
Caring for emotional health in aging populations is a highly challenging task. Various realities may begin to become evident to those who have left work, and they become more apparent as people's capabilities start to decline. For this reason, retirees often show more signs of depression than those who are still working, which is why you need to pay careful attention to a senior loved one when you visit them.
After a person stops working, they often lose a sense of purpose, and their role in life becomes more challenging to define. At the same time, people lose their daily structure, making negative coping habits and avoidance behaviors a lot more tempting.
Recent chronic health crises have made this even more apparent. People have lost connections with family members, and regularly scheduled visitations have faced disruption, with 20% of seniors reporting more loneliness than they did six years ago. The smaller social circles that this results in can cause senior stress responses to trigger.
For those facing chronic pain, managing that challenge along with slower impulse control in older seniors can leave them vulnerable to potentially falling for harmful "quick fixes".
At the same time, for many seniors, discussing mental health is not something they are used to. As such, identifying negative behavioral signs in older adults can be more challenging, as they may not even want to suggest that they are having problems.
Caring for the individual then quickly evolves into ensuring they receive the senior care and behavior advice they need.
If you are concerned about your loved one, look out for some of the following behaviors. Some may be actions they take as a result of the difficulties they are experiencing, whereas others are signs of hidden distress they do not want to discuss but express in other ways.
Emotional outbursts: These often stem from minor frustrations that they do not express, building up over time. Such difficulties may be simple, such as being unable to care for oneself or having trouble participating in community activities.
Decline in cleanliness: This change indicates a withdrawal and reduction in the desire to take care of oneself. Such behavior can suggest that someone no longer wishes to attempt interacting with others, as they do not care how they appear when they do.
Repetitive complaints: Suggestions of specific aches beyond the typical "aging pains" may mask deeper concerns about one's body becoming a burden and a realization of new limitations they struggle to articulate.
Risky or unusual financial decisions: Excessive online shopping or engaging in high-risk financial activity can suggest that someone is seeking an emotional "hit" akin to gambling. Those averse to gambling itself may buy things to enjoy the control of purchasing and the mood of opening a new package, without realizing they are searching for that feeling.
Frequent indecisiveness: If, when trying to decide on an activity or the next meal, they frequently remark that "nothing is good" or similar, this may indicate an overarching feeling of apathy. It may also suggest that one's appetite has diminished due to stress.
When you notice any of these, look out for whether they have taken any other potentially troubling steps, such as:
If any of these become evident while your loved one resides in Morada Lake Hefner, you should engage with the staff to ensure that they get the help they need.
Our on-site staff receive training in recognizing senior stress responses, enabling us to address them effectively. When notified, we can initiate a log to:
When your loved one takes action that falls outside the norm, requiring a response, we can communicate that as soon as possible, helping you stay up to date.
We also offer wearable alert pendants. If a resident is having problems, we strongly recommend that a loved one wear one at all times, so our staff are on-call should something happen.
Our goal is the betterment of our residents, so work with them and you to set personal goals that help ensure they remain cared for and improve their mood over time. With on-site activities alongside other support, we aim to provide engaging distractions that give residents a sense of agency and comfort, even during challenging times.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms need not mar your loved one's retirement years. Instead, we want to help them take early action to avoid dangerous habits from building into problematic behavior. Morada Lake Hefner's staff is instead ready to work with you and them to forge a personalized path to a better tomorrow.
To learn more about the services we offer our residents in this area, speak with our advisors and schedule a tour. You can then use this opportunity to ask us any questions you have about our processes and see for yourself how we can care for your loved one.